


Life It Can Be A Joy or Despair

by Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Abandonment, Adoption, Angst, Drama, F/M, Kidnapping, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:49:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 38,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27395260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon/pseuds/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon
Summary: Sam is born as a Manson, but her parents don't want her, so they give her to the most unlikeliest of people at the tender age of two...The Fentons.The Present..."I think that was the biggest moment for me because I needed that strength with the year to come. I, of course went back to school the next day only to find that I had been moved into Danny's class with him and that the teacher we had was fired when a student complained that they were ignored while said teacher just talked on her phone. Ironic, right? So as that year wore on I did end up getting into it with Paulina on a pretty regular basis but not as frequently as I would have had I been left in that class." She looked out at the audience. "But it didn't matter because I had Danny and he had told me that he would be there for me even if we had to go against the world." Silence. "Then at the end of that year, around Christmas time I found that Danny couldn't always be there for me."
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Sam Manson
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

"Whoever said life was easy, lied. Life was anything but easy. I can tell you that for fact because my life started out being complicated," Sam said as she began her script reading, her hands at her side. She wore a long black dress, the front of it low cut with some cleavage bared to the world. Around her neck was a simple amethyst stone necklace, a gift from her childhood. She was standing before a large crowd in an auditorium. She had written a play based on her life and now she was putting it on stage thanks to some sponsors. Yeah, Sam had just turned twenty-one just one week ago and she was living a small part of her dream while the other half had yet to fall into place. "As I said, my life was anything but easy because when my mother became pregnant she almost terminated her pregnancy. She hadn't known what do with a child and had never planned to have one." Silence greeted her. She looked out at the crowd as the curtains behind her opened and the lights went out, one spot light on her while the other fell on a scene behind her.

"I was a mistake, saved only by the fact that if she aborted me she would be cast out of her lifestyle. My parents didn't know what to do with a child, a baby, an infant so all the best nannies and childcare techs were brought in to raise me." The crowd listened on as they were transported back in time.

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Twenty-One years past….

"What do you want me to do?" Pamela murmured as she looked at the nanny, clear disgust in her eyes as the older woman held her two year old out to her, the amethyst eyed toddler looking at the red headed woman with indifference. Strange emotions for a child so young, but she had grown to understand that her mother didn't want to be around her. When she was brought before this red headed woman she was to call mother, she was looked at like one would look at a parasite, with disgust.

"I quit," the older woman stated, as she nearly tossed the young raven haired child at the other woman. "I cannot keep up with this little demon and her antics." Pamela looked at the child in her arms, scorn in her teal eyes. As the older woman stomped out the door the mother of the "demon" held her at arm's length as she moved to take her back to her room where she placed her in the wooden crib. Looking down at the toddler she found no love for said child. Most mothers grew to love their child, didn't they?

"I just want to drown you or lose you, whichever is easier," the red head said with a scowl just as her husband entered the room, his blue eyes looking down at their child with a lack of emotion. "Thurston," she murmured. "Can we not just send her away to some boarding school or dump her at a church?" He looked thoughtful. Their families had said they couldn't abort her, but they never said they had to keep her and that's when an idea came to him.

"I have an idea," he said before pulling out his phone.

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Present...

"That was the one good thing that happened in my life, the one good thing that they did for me as parents. Just because they didn't want me didn't mean that they couldn't find a family that was willing to take me in with no question as to why I was being dumped." Taking a deep breath she continued. "It was by sure luck that they knew of one couple, the Fenton's, that had had just had their second child and would welcome another just as easily. The Fenton's were great, believe me, because everyone around me said differently and avoided the parents at most costs."

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The Past...

"Hello?" Thurston said as he turned from his wife and child. "Yeah, long time no talk, um, Jack, yeah, we just had a girl, but here's the thing... we don't want her." There was some talk on the other end. "Yeah, I know that sounds heartless, but you know us well enough that I don't care." More talking from the other end. "Yeah, we were about to drop her off at the orphan-" Screaming was heard as the blond male held the phone from his head. Smirking he turned to his wife and mouthed 'done deal' before placing the phone back to his ear. "Oh, you would? Really, I mean I don't think that is wise with the fact that you- Oh, okay then we will be dropping her off with you and the adoption papers this afternoon." As soon as he hung up he threw the phone to the ground with glee.

"So, they are taking her?" Pamela questioned slowly, not wanting to sound to hopeful.

"Yes, they will take her." Walking over to where his daughter looked up at him, he leaned close down. "Good riddance."


	2. Chapter 2

"Little did they know that that wasn't the last they would see of me, because when they went to have the adoption papers drawn up, they found that they couldn't change my last name," the Gothic woman said with a smile. "That was only part of it. They couldn't take me out of their will because as they learned from the family lawyer I was not to be dumped out of the family in anyway."

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The past...

"I can't believe they did that," Maddie said hours later as they held Sam, the small child looking up at the red haired woman with a look of confusion as the ghost fighter held her close. The toddler wasn't used to that, even the nannies hadn't wanted to really hold her.

"Yeah, well I always told you that those Mansons were a cold lot," Jack thundered as he looked down at the wide eyed child. "Not you though, I can see it in those eyes. You aren't like them, though it sucks we can't change that name." Sam gurgled as she reached for Jack with a smile, the first real one that she had ever done in her whole life. Jazz entered the room at that moment, the small girl only five at the time, and stopped before the dark haired child.

"I think she looks more like a Fenton then either of the Mansons. Neither has dark hair like her or those eyes."

"Yeah, I wondered about that," Maddie said turning Sam to look at her, the small fingers of the two year old reaching out to touch her face, her lips puckering as she blew her a kiss. "Oh, look at that!" Just then Danny appeared from around the corner, his big cerulean orbs locking on the small girl in his mother's arms. He didn't approach his family as he eyed her, his gaze so serious. "Hey, Danny come see your new little friend." They wouldn't call her his sister since both children were smart enough to understand.

"No." That was the single word he chose to say, but they knew he would warm up to the little girl, who at that moment had turned to look at him, her hands reaching for him as she struggled to be released.

"Wow, she really wants to get him," Jack said with a chuckle as his wife placed the small child on the ground. Within minutes she was off, her little shoes clicking away as she chased after Danny. His eyes grew wide as she sped at him. Turning he went to make a mad dash but was too late as the small girl pounced on him. She managed to knock the air out of his lungs as his parents watched her bestow a kiss on the side of his cheek making him squeal.

"Aww," the group said as she got off of him before standing off to the side to let him get up. He glared at her as she seemed to smirk at him, a warning of what to was to come in the following years.

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A six year old Danny ran down the steps as Sam raced after him, her hair flying wildly around her shoulders.

"Stop!" he yelled over his shoulder as the small pixie sized female laughed with glee, she followed her friend around the house. They had become friends after that first year, Danny warming up to her within days, but still she was just as much of a boy like him, if not a little rougher. "Sam! I am not joking!"

"Come on!" she yelled back. "You can't play a prank on me and not expect to pay the piper!" Danny smirked. He had gotten her good this time, the only problem was now he had to run because it had been a contact prank, so it had left little time for him to run.

"It was just a little water," he called back. "Nothing to get your panties in a twist about!" The Gothic girl let out a growl of frustration. Water!? As if!

"Danny, if you don't know the difference between water and ice then I guess you need more tutoring!" In her hand was the item she was going to tutor him with, the same ice ball that he had used on her just moments ago. It was the size of a softball and was melting as they ran. "Come on! Let me tutor you in the ways of science!" Just as Danny made a turn into the kitchen Sam stopped, her eyes seeing Jazz before he did.

CRASH!

"Ugh!" the nine year old fussed as she glowed down at her brother on the floor. "Don't you two ever just give it a rest? Why should I have to suffer because you two like jokes?" Sam smirked because while Jazz was ranting the small raven haired girl snuck around her, taking the back entrance. "I just do-" A squeal of anger, confusion and frustration escaped the red head's throat. Danny smirked, laughter erupted from his throat as Sam peered around the corner to see the older girl's face. It was like looking at a tomato and then those sparkling teal eyes turned her way. Sam smiled as she waved at Jazz.

"I thought you were getting a little hot under the hood, so ice ju-"

"Samantha!" Jazz screamed as she went to run after Sam, but lucky for her Danny reached out at the same time to stop the older child from reaching the Goth. As Jazz fell forward, her hands flying out to break her fall, Danny rushed off to hide with Sam, the pair always playing pranks on each other, but they always ganged up on Jazz in the end. Giggling they disappeared just as Jack appeared at the top of the steps of the lab to the left of the kitchen.

"What in the world is going on here?" The small red head turned to her father and began to tell him, but with her tears and frustration as well as her anger all running together, he couldn't make heads or tails of it so as soon as she stopped he said, "Um, that's sounds like fun." He was gone in that next instant making the small girl break out in screams of frustration.

Danny and Sam now sat together in their small hiding spot that Jazz didn't even know they knew how to get to, the small space in the OP's center that Jack and Maddie had made last year. As they giggled away they both smiled at each other, their friendship just growing every year.


	3. Chapter 3

It came time for them to start school that year and in that the pair found a problem. When the first day of school came around they stepped into the large Casper Elementary school, the large place full of screaming kids and instantly Sam found she hated the place. It was as if Danny could feel it because he reached out and grasping her hand gave it a squeeze. She smiled as she turned to look at him, her amethyst eyes so full of emotion that not one emotion was greater than the other.

"Well, kids," Jack said as he ushered them toward a room labeled 'office' where they sat down to wait to talk to the principal. Maddie had felt that they needed to be kept in the same class with Sam's background, but the principal felt that they needed to be separated so that the small raven haired female could make other friends. The door opened and a small dark haired Asian woman stepped out, her dark hair chopped severely, her brown eyes unfriendly looking and Sam found that she knew the answer to them being kept together. It was going to be a big fat 'no'.

"Hello," she said, the principal's voice cold as she ushered them into her office. Just before they entered though Maddie showed up, Jazz standing with her mother with a book in the smaller red heads hands. "Oh, are you her guardian as well?" Maddie nodded as the large group entered the small office. Sitting down the children sat in chairs on the wall to the right of the large desk. As Maddie and Jack sat down in the chair the principal continued to stand for a few extra seconds. "I am sure that you know I will stand behind my decision to keep them in separate classrooms since most children, sibling or otherwise, don't do well in the social department if they are kept in the same class. They refuse step out of their comfort zone to play with the other kids."

"That can happen or the child can refuse to be part of the class if he or she feels uncomfortable," came a reply from Jazz as the nine year old stood up to stand before the Asian female. "Either way you are taking a chance, but judging by Sam's own personality I think the second would be more likely to happen, her attachment to Danny aiding her in being normal by your standards. If you were to allow them to be together she would be more likely to participate in the classroom, as well as with the other students." The principal was left in shock at the behavior of the small red head. "I do propose a compromise. If you were to allow them, for the first part of the school year, to stay together and I am wrong then separate them. I believe you will find that my way works out better than yours would."

"That is our oldest," Jack pointed out. "She's a genius and a very apt at seeing a situation based on a person's behavior " Maddie nodded as the pair of six year old children continued to hold hands in hope. Miss Cando Wong was still silent as she looked down at the girl who had just basically done her out.

"I will allow them to be together during part of the school year," Miss Wong conceded to the joy of all in the office. As the two adult Fentons left the trio, Miss Wong handed the older child, Jazz, a paper with her name and class that she would be in before turning to the other two. "You will be in these classes since we already had you enrolled in each one and cannot change the seating just now." Sam frowned as she looked at the paper before glancing over at Danny's. "You will be separated for a few months while we get your classes corrected." Jazz frowned now, the fact that she had waited until their parents had left before giving them the schedules with separate classes already prepared. "Have a good day."

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Jazz walked them down to their classes, the two rooms next to each other before releasing Danny into his. He looked at Sam on final time before releasing her hand. Sam just stood there and as she watched him enter the room she felt the anger fill her small form.

'This just isn't fair! That stupid lady did this purpose!' Looking to Jazz she could tell that the red head wasn't any happier. "I will go alone," Sam said instead. "I don't need to be babysat." Jazz smiled as she walked off. Sam stood there for a moment, her amethyst eyes on the two doors with two names on them. Danny had entered Mrs. Spencer's room while she was to go to Mr. Lancer's class. Sighing she grasped the knob before entering the room. This sucked. Entering the room she knew right off the bat she was going to hate it.

"Hello, little one," the man said in greeting. "You must be Samantha Manson." The small Goth child shuddered at that last name. She hated it so much, but she couldn't seem to rid herself of it.

"No, I don't like that name. Call me anything but Manson," the small child said. "I am no Manson." Walking off she headed for the four tables, each with five chairs. Searching for her name she sat down, her eyes taking in the name Samantha M. on the name tag.

"Okay, um, is there a name you would rather be known as?"

"Sam." The male looked a little uneasy with her tone and her maturity for a child so young, but what really made him uncomfortable was how somber she was. There was no child he had ever seen so straight faced. Most were exuberant and outgoing, but not this child. She was sulky, her lips a straight line.

"Okay, so everyone is here. Let's begin the day with introductions."

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In the other room Danny's morning was going better than Sam's. He was sat next to a dark skinned boy whom had his Game Boy in his desk and was currently playing with it. As the rest of the class sat silently Danny watched Tucker, the name of the kid playing his game, play Super Mario on the small handheld device. He was curious as to why the small boy didn't get into trouble but noticing that the young female that was their teacher had her back to them as she talked on her cell.

'Lucky me.' He continued to watch the boy play as the other students did what they pleased. Minutes passed like that and Danny found himself wondering what kind of day Sam was having. She must be having a good day with teachers like this and kids that all seem rather nice.

The hours just seemed to pass for the small raven haired boy unlike Sam in the next room. She was having a horrible time and just wanted to escape this horror called school. The teacher wasn't strict, but he was all about trying to be their friend, while at the same time teaching them. Sam found that something to gag about because the last thing she wanted was a teacher as a buddy.

'I want to go home. This place sucks...' Just as she felt the urge to scream someone threw something at her, the feeling of something hitting her head making her turn around to find a little Hispanic girl to her left in a group that had one little blond girl, a small blond male, and an Asian boy. Glowering, Sam turned back around only to hear the kids laughing. Turning back around she threw them a look that seemed to shut them up, that is until she turned back around.

"Hi, um, Sam, right?" inquired a little brown skinned girl in her group. "You have a large piece of gum in your hair." Sam reached up, her hand feeling around the back of her long raven locks to find that what the girl had said to be true. Her face scrunched up and just at the point that most thought she was going to cry a loud scream erupted from her lips. Turning in her chair she lunged at the little Latina, her hands reaching out for her. Mr. Lancer barely had time to react as the little Gothic smacked all four at least once before screaming at them.

"You stupid little turd heads! You butt nuggets!" her screams reached out into the halls, but not into the other rooms, thank god, because with in minutes the little girl had practically beat the foursome into submission. "I hate it here! I hate you all!" Standing on the desk just as Lancer reached for her she kicked him, her little booted foot coming in contact with his family jewels. Lucky for the teacher, and the foursome that were receiving the beating, another teacher had come in to ask for some chalk.

"What in the world?!" she cried when she saw the children cowering against the wall as one little girl screamed at the top of her lungs, while some students who were still in their desks cried out in pain, their faces red while Lancer rolled on the floor holding his crotch. Moving quickly she reached out and grabbed Sam, the small girl still letting out an ear piercing scream while hitting the intercom button. Within minutes the principal was in the room, her brown eyes falling on Sam who now was quiet, her little eyes like amethyst stones as she glared at the Asian woman.

"This is going to be a problem," Miss Wong stated. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I knew that."

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Danny headed down to the lunch room, the other students around him shoving as they all made their way toward the cafeteria. Tucker stuck with him as they looked for one person in particular.

"So, she's not your sister, but your family adopted her?"

"Yeah. Her family was a bunch of meanies so my parents took her in. Dad says that her family are a bunch of cold hearted ass-hats." Tucker's eyes grew wide at the bad word as he ooh'ed. Danny realized what he said and covered his mouth. He was so used to being around Sam that he had forgotten that others didn't like those words.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Blinking Danny looked at the boy in confusion. "I have never heard that word before. Assholes, but never ass-hats." That made the raven haired boy smile knowing that Sam would enjoy this kid with his antics. Turning from his new friend he still couldn't find Sam.

'Where is she?' Continuing into the overflowing eating area he still couldn't locate her. "I can't seem to find her. I wonder where she's hiding?" Suddenly a foursome passed them, a cute looking Hispanic girl leading the group. She caught both boys' attention as Sam seemed to get forgotten. "She's cute." Most boys their age weren't into girls because of cooties, but every year the children grew more mature in their thinking even if it didn't show in their attitude. Tucker nodded as he eyed the main female.

"Both of them are pretty, but I think the blond is prettier." Danny shook his head. The little Latina had caught his attention. Just then Jazz appeared, her teal eyes locking on her brother at the same time that the techno geek at his side turned to find her. "Although I do like my girls a little older." Danny turned to see who he was talking about and just about gagged.

"That is my sister."

"She's still cute." Danny shoved at the boy before turning his attention back to his sister.

"Hey, Jazz, have you seen Sam?" The red head shook her head as the line began to move up. Around them several students laughed and played while Jazz opened her mouth to tell her brother that she hadn't seen Sam since that morning and that Sam had waved her off. "Strange. Do you think she's hiding?"

"Wouldn't know. I do know that I saw mom and dad like an hour or so ago." Now that was interesting. "I wanted to talk to them, but they were in the office talking with Miss Wong and she seemed pretty adamant about something."

"I wonder what that's about?"

"It could be the message I left about you guys being separated despite the talk this morning."

"I don't know, I mean mom and dad might get angry about it, but I doubt they would come up here in the middle of the day." Jazz nodded as the line moved more and the trio waited for their chance to get food. As they waited the blond male from the group with the Hispanic girl appeared behind them with an Asian male.

"I can't believe her!" the blond complained. "Over some gum?!"

"I still say that Paulina was wrong for that though." The blond smacked the other kid. "What?! I think that putting that gum in her hair was wrong and Star agrees." The blond smacked him again.

"So you think it was okay for that freak to jump on us?" The Asian boy shook his head. "Dear god, Kwan and I thought you were getting soft on me."

"No, I think that she had the right to kick your butt and Paulina's, but Star and I had nothing to do with what you did."

"You laughed."

"I was just trying to be cool, Dash, but I didn't think it was really funny, though Lancer on the ground was kind of funny." Dash laughed now.

"I can give her credit for that one, but still Paulina is pissed about it." Suddenly they noticed Danny and Tucker listening in. "Can we help you dorks?" Tucker shook his head and Danny said nothing as he continued to stare. "Then turn yourselves around!" Both boys did an about face as Jazz just rolled her eyes. Turning to the blond male she leaned close down to his level.

"Just because you feel little doesn't mean you need to build up your lack of self esteem by messing around with my brother. " Dash's eyes grew wide as the girl who was so obviously at least two years older than him put him in his place as Kwan laughed at his side. "And you, you're just following him like a like a little girl in love with being his cool sidekick. As for this Paulina girl, I would assume that she's the little princess of her grade and everyone wants to be her because she is beautiful on the outside, but a little brat on the inside."

"You have something you want to say to me?" came a voice from to the right of the group, the lunch line continuing around them as Danny realized they had stopped moving in the middle of the line, the time on the clock informing them that they had less than ten minutes to eat. Turning to see who had spoken they found the girl they had been admiring moments ago.

"Okay, I was just telling your little followers that you are spoiled little brat. Probably the only child of a rich couple who think that material items make up for the love that you crave by sticking gum in little girl's hair."

"Now, listen here, freak. That girl deserved it." Then it hit the trio that these kids were all the same age as Danny and Tucker. This had to be the class that Sam had been assigned to.

"You put gum in Sam's hair?!" Jazz screeched in amazement before a chuckle left her lips.

"What is so funny?" Paulina inquired as she then saw the look on Danny's face. When Jazz said nothing she asked again, "What is so funny?"

"The hell you will be seeing for a long time."


	4. Chapter 4

When the trio got home later that day they found both parents in the living room talking quietly. Danny looked at his sister and his friend, but before they could think to even walk past the conspiring couple they found themselves being called into the next room.

"Good, I am glad that you are all here," Maddie began, her voice soft.

"Oh, so I, um, can see that this is a fam-" Maddie threw him a look that stopped him in his tracks. "Dang." After sitting down at the table, the three kids looked to the two adults who were looking toward the doorway. The kitchen was filled with food that was in the stove cooking, but Maddie paid it no heed as her purple eyes fell on the group before her.

"Okay, I heard that the principal went ahead and placed you two in separate classes only to find that our nine year old daughter was right." She looked to Jazz, who though proud of that fact, didn't smile because she knew that there was something wrong. Their parents only sat them down when something big was going down. "I see that Danny has made a new friend and I am glad to know that."

"Hi, ma'am."

"Here is the issue, children, Sam loves her hair, as we all know 'cept for you," she said to the newest face in the room. "Her hair is her joy and today one of the kids put gum in her hair."

"You had to cut it, didn't you?" Jazz questioned.

"So, that's just a small thing," Tucker stated. Jack threw him a look now, a question of his name.

"Tucker, sir."

"Well, Tucker, as my wife was saying she had gum put in her hair and it wasn't in a spot that would have been a small thing. When you see her, because you will see her, don't make a big deal out of it. I do give you one warning though. She is mad."

Getting up the parents returned to their lab leaving the children to sit there in silence, but Danny didn't stay there for long. He stood up and running up the stairs went to his room where he hoped she was. Sam wasn't there, so running back into the hall he called out, "One to OP's center." A tube came down and sucking him up was gone. Jazz and Tucker stood there watching because Jazz knew that Danny was the only one that would be able to calm her down, while Tucker just didn't want to get involved.

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Up in the center Danny looked around, his first try in the bedroom before heading for the hatch. Sometimes when they wanted to be left alone the pair headed up there and sometimes it was just for the night gazing. He knew Sam went up there more often than he did because she was more of a night person. As the hatch opened he found her, the small girl in one of his hoodies at the edge of the roof. She didn't even turn to look at him.

"I hope that your parents understand I am never going back," she said, her voice dark. "I hate school." Danny moved toward her and standing next to her he looked out at the skies, the sun still out for the most part, but clouds were starting to gather overhead as thunder shook the skies.

"I don't know how you feel, but I am sorry that she did that." Sam frown deepened. Sitting down next to her he reached out, his small hand taking hers. "You know that I will always be there for you against the world if you need me to be."

"Danny, I don't want to go back to that class," she murmured, her voice sad this time as she turned to him, her amethyst orbs swimming with tears. As the first one fell, the rain above them started to fall. "I don't like it in that classroom. I don't like the kids and I hate the teacher. And I really hate that I had to cut my hair. I hate it." Danny pulled her toward him in a hug.

"Sam, I love you and that is all that matters." She smiled and pulling the hoodie back showed him her hair.

"I like it. In fact I think that you could be more Goth with this look." The smile on the raven haired girl's face broadened as she looked out at the rain, the pair just sitting there with Danny holding her hand.

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The Present...

"I think that was the biggest moment for me because I needed that strength with the year to come. I, of course went back to school the next day only to find that I had been moved into Danny's class with him and that the teacher we had was fired when a student complained that they were ignored while said teacher just talked on her phone. Ironic, right? So as that year wore on I did end up getting into it with Paulina on a pretty regular basis but not as frequently as I would have had I been left in that class." She looked out at the audience. "But it didn't matter because I had Danny and he had told me that he would be there for me even if we had to go against the world." Silence. "Then at the end of that year, around Christmas time I found that Danny couldn't always be there for me."

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Past...

Sam ran past the large Christmas tree, her hair still spiky from the incident with the gum all the months prior. The little Goth had grown to love the look when the hot summer had come around and had yet to grow tired of it. The fights that she had gotten into with the Hispanic girl also came to hair pulling and since she had little in the way to pull, the other child had no way to pull the same stunt on her, of course Paulina's hair had grown back when Sam had followed her first example with damaging the other child's hair.

Unfortunately Sam didn't make Paulina cut her own hair. No, Sam did it for her one day during art class, that she had with the little Latina. She had crept behind her while Paulina had been making fun of some other little child and taking the teacher's scissors chopped off a good chunk before the popular girl turned around. The other girl had been in such shock that she had failed to grab Sam before the small Goth had dashed off and it had only gotten worse after that.

"Come on!" Jazz cried as she chased the little girl who was running with a gift in her hand, the parcel large in size but light enough that the small girl could move quickly. "Put it under the tree now, Sam!" The little raven haired child stuck her tongue out before running into something solid. Falling back on her butt she looked up to find Jack, her male guardian. He chuckled while reaching down to grasp the gift that had fallen at his feet. Looking down at the small girl he smiled.

"Sam, you know that the presents go under the tree."

"Yes, pop," she said with a smile. "I'll put it back." The large male in the orange jumpsuit shook his head with another chuckle before walking back over with the gift just as a knock echoed from the front door. Sam felt the hair on the back of her head rise and just as Danny appeared from the kitchen the little raven haired girl ran to him before yanking him down the hall. As she pulled him behind the stairs Jack opened the door to find two people standing on the porch.

"What are you two doing here?" the large ghost fighter inquired, his voice becoming low as Maddie entered the room.

"We are here to collect Samantha for the holidays," came the response. Maddie moved quickly as her husband slammed the door on the pair before turning to his wife. She looked at him rather worried, but shook her head knowing that they had no say in this.

Danny looked at the little girl next to him, her small form shaking, but he knew that it wasn't just in fear that she shuddered. Sam was mad and he didn't plan on letting her go without a fight, so when his parents opened the door again he shoved the small girl behind him as stayed by the edge of the stairs. As the parents talked Jack's voice rose, his anger evident before turning toward where his son stood glaring at the couple in the doorway.

"She has to go with them," he stated, his voice flat, but to all the adults shock the small boy shook his head as he emerged from behind the stairs. "Danny," his father said again, his voice pleading with the small boy.

"If she has to go then I am going with her!" he stated with a glare that could turn someone into ice. The funny thing was at that moment all the adults stepped back with a shiver. For a little six year old that look was scary. Jack turned to the pair at the door.

"Uh, I guess he could come with us," Pamela said with a look to her husband. Sam came out from the stairs at that point and the small raven haired boy next to her took her hand as the plans were discussed. As his mother took them upstairs to gather their things the Mansons waited in the main room.

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Upstairs Maddie was gathering clothing for the pair of children, her heart aching because not only was she going to be missing two of her children, but she had to give Sam back to her birth parents. They hadn't wanted to sign that part of the contract, but knew that if they didn't then they would have sold her to the highest bidder and that little girl didn't deserve it. The Mansons had offered money to take care of Sam, but they had said no, telling them to set up a fund for their only daughter, because when she was old enough she would need that to start her own life.

"Okay, I want you to know that we didn't want to give you over to them, but that was part of the adoption," Maddie said moments later as she crouched between the pair of them. "We just did what we thought was right, but in that moment we never thought they would ever come back into your life," she said to Sam as she pulled the small girl into her arms. "Know that we will be waiting for you right here and if you need to call us we will answer day or night." She turned to her son now, her eyes watering even more. "Oh, my precious little white knight. Take good care of her and make sure that they don't ever have her alone."

Danny nodded. It was a big responsibly for the small boy but Danny held Sam's hand and looked to her, the look of love in his cerulean eyes that was reflected in her own amethyst gaze. There was a bond there that would help them through the years. The pair heading down the stairs, Maddie walking behind them as she tried to calm herself. As they hit the last step Pamela and Thurston stood up, the look on their face one of dismay and unease. Tightening her grip on him Sam took a deep breath as the pair stepped forward toward the unhappy parents. Stepping out into the cold night air with the Mansons behind them the children waved good-bye to the Fentons.

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That first night Sam was made to sleep in her old room that had been made into a guest room and although Danny was told that his room was in the next room he did as his mother had instructed, not that he would ever leave Sam alone. Looking up at her biological parents he told them exactly what he thought of their instructions.

"I can't and won't do that," Danny said as he stood next to Sam in front of her room. "I don't leave her side." Sam stood next to him with a look of defiance on her own face while Pamela took her new look in. At the house she had only seen part of it, but now that she was looking at the child she gave birth to she found that she couldn't see her in the small raven haired girl. The hairstyle was horrible and something that would have to be fixed come tomorrow and the clothing that she wore was dark.

"It is not proper for a male and female to sleep in the same room, especially if you aren't related." Danny frowned at her logic as Thurston just stood there, his own blue eyes taking in the situation. "Especially children like Sam who are of a blue blood."

"You lost the right to make that choice when you gave her to us! She stays with me and I with her. That is her and my choice." Realizing that this little boy was serious they gave in and left the pair alone. As the pair watched the rich couple walk off Danny followed her into the large room where a bed the size of a small room sat with pink and white sheets. Sam glared at the offending spread before Danny led her back out of the room and into the other room, his room that he had rejected to find it in better taste for him and the small heiress at his side.

The room was blue and white, a little less bright for the girl at his side, and more suited to his own gender so leaving her in the room he headed back for their one bag, his backpack that his mother had packed for them. Coming back he sat it on the floor before searching for PJ's. Handing her the large black shirt he pulled out his own shirt and short set. Letting her have the bathroom he changed quickly and when she reappeared he gave her the side of the bed furthest from the door before hopping in himself. Settling in they soon found sleep rather quickly because even if they were in an unfriendly and unfamiliar place they could always find serenity in each others company.

"Thank you," she murmured as she curled up next to him and smiling Danny kissed her head as he sighed.

"I love you, Sammy." The small girl whispered it back as the pair fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was hectic. They were woken up early with a claim that with that impending holiday they would be expecting several people to show up in the next couple of hours and the pair needed to look their best. The pair of children were taken aside to get new clothing for the family get together, which meant they had to be separated. Danny protested and Sam fought, but in the end as six years they were not strong enough to stay together. As they were dragged away from each other the pair reached for the other child.

"I want Danny!" Sam screamed while her biological mother locked the door to the room that they had just entered, the large room bright with light from an open window and yet there were large black iron bars on it. Truly this was just a prison disguised as a house. There was another person was in the room with her, the male tailor that had pulled out a measuring tape to take her size. Sam eyed the male with disgust, her remembrance as a child in the Manson house still quite clear.

She knew where this was going and she was not wearing one of those good awful outfits that they seemed to like to dress her in! "I am not going to wear it! I am not some doll for you to dress up whenever you please!" she cried out as she made a run for the door. Grabbing the knob she found that she was truly locked in, her biological mother holding up a key with an evil smirk twisting the other woman's face. Behind her the tailor held out the tape and while Sam wasn't afraid of either of them she found the pair together looking menacing.

"You are still my child and when I want you to play nice then you will or else I think that we will take you back into our home," the red head threatened. Sam didn't take threats very well, her eyes narrowing. For a minute Pamela was worried, but knowing that the child before her was only a six year old helped to keep her glare strong as she waited for the child before her to give in. Sam didn't want to, but in the back of her mind she was sure she didn't want to stay in that house. "Get more help because I think that she's going to fight this with her last breath."

The male in the room nodded before the red head unlocked the door to let him out. As soon as the door was opened Sam made another try to get out, only for her mother to grasp her upper arm. "Don't think so," the hostess of the house stated with a twist of her fingers while her other hand tucked the key into the pocket of her pink dress, the floral print so old fashioned. The small Goth fought against her mother, but the red head now had two free hands and both of them were hooked into the small girls chubby arms. Her feet kicked under her as Sam tried to free herself. The more she fought the harder Pamela clung to her, the older woman's hands digging into her arms.

Within minutes the male was back with two helpers. As soon as the door was locked Pamela released Sam, the small girl turning to kick her mother in the leg before moving away from the men in the room, while her eyes still bore into her mother's own teal eyes. "You little BRAT!" the red head screamed as she grabbed her leg, the pain from the small girl's kick vibrating through her bones. It wouldn't have hurt too bad, but Sam managed to hit the bone in just the right spot sending pain through the bone.

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In a room on the other side of the house Danny fought back as they tried to take his measurements while Thurston sat back and watched. It didn't seem that the host of the house was too worried about Danny and the fact that he was fighting back. When the men helping take the measurements were all tired from fighting with the boy, the host of the house finally spoke up, his blue eyes hard like ice as he stood. He towered over the other male, his blond hair slicked back. The male child glared up at the father of Sam and stood his ground when Thurston took a step toward him. He would not back down.

"Daniel, we don't want to have you two over here anymore than you want to be here, but here is how this is going to work. Either you do what we require from you or you can go home while Sam stays here, alone. I know that you are here to protect her from whatever your idiot parents have told you. We don't need you though, just her." That stopped the dark haired child fast. "Good."

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For the pair of children the next hour was torture as their clothing was altered to match the status of Sam's parents, their hair done and faces scrubbed clean. As the last of it was done the pair was released into the house, the two immediately running from the pair of adults. Danny quickly hunted down his friend, the small Goth tugging at her hair, well, a wig that had been placed on her head to cover the spiky hairstyle she had grown to love. As soon as she saw him the girl ran to him, her face red with anger. They hugged for a moment and then Danny pulled back, his six year old gaze taking in the Goth's new appearance.

"What in the hell did they do to you?" he inquired as he looked down at her, the small girl in a bright red and green dress, the hem of said dress frilly with a black wig of long hair on her head with a matching bow that was almost as big as her own head. She looked back at him, her eyes taking in his own matching outfit. His red pants looked like something Santa would have worn while the green shirt was more upscale looking. It was complete with a little red bow.

"The same thing that happened to you," she muttered as she pulled on the wig without much success. "Seems that Christmas exploded on us." Stomping her shoe on the floor she growled as she gave up on the wig. "I hate this house! I hate those people!" The dress she wore was long sleeved and as the small girl began to tug on the sleeves, her skin breaking out in goosebumps from the itchy material. Danny noticed that there was something bleeding through the green sleeve on her right arm. Looking closely he realized that it was on both arms, the small spot nothing serious, but he was still curious.

"What is that?" he asked pointing to the spot. Sam looked down at it and shrugged, her fingers still scratching in irritation at the sleeves. "Did you run into something or spill something on you?" She shook her head, the scratching stopping as she looked closely at the spots as she began to feel a slight pain from the area. Suddenly the doorbell rang, the sound of the chime filling the area that they were in. As the door opened several people entered the room and thus began the Manson Christmas.

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Present...

"Danny and I were dragged around the room, my friend only moved around because we refused to be separated. I met all the relatives and while most of them made me want to scream some of the others were just indifferent, but they were all fed the same story about why they had never met me. They were told that I was away at boarding school when they all wanted to see me during the last few holidays. I wanted to tell them it was a lie and that the people of the house had kicked me out because they didn't want me. I wanted to tell them, just to put those people who were my parents in a spot, but I could say nothing for fear of having to stay there another day. I couldn't risk that because I knew that if I were forced to stay in that house for the rest of my days I feared what I would become."

Looking out she smiled. "I did manage to screw a few things up and Danny helped me in leaving our own little messages in our room where they are still to this day." Pause. "As the years went by I only had to visit Pamela and Thurston a few times a year and by the time I hit the age of thirteen I almost had nothing to do with them until the year that something big happened in our lives. My mother was diagnosed with cancer and according to the will if she died then I was to take over the hostess duties of the house."

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Past...

"I don't want her to die," a fifteen year old Sam muttered angrily. "I may hate her, but I don't want her to die because that means I have to go back to that house." The Goth sat on her bed, the newest addition to the house since as a child she had slept with Jazz in her room. Laying back with a sigh Sam looked to her friend, his back to her as he thought about that one. It was a big thing that the woman of terror had been put in her place and yet at the same time he agreed with Sam.

"Well, there's not much we can do," the male stated as he fell back on her bed, both of them looking at the ceiling, the roof of her room colored black with little stars painted on it. Danny and Sam had done that last year after pleading with Danny's parents to allow the preteens to decorate Sam's new room. Danny spent more time in her room than his own, but lately Sam had seemed more withdrawn from him. She didn't want him in the room all the time and then her clothing choices had changed from just conservative to a little more revealing. He didn't know what to think of the small raven haired girl any more with her change in attitude and then her clothing. Another thing that had changed was her hairstyle and the fact that the Goth now wore make-up.

"And that really reeks because as I said I don't want to go back there. I was looking forward to the fact that the visits were less frequent and soon would stop, but now they are basically making me their family again and all to keep that money in the family." She closed her eyes as the thought of being used washed over her. She was some damn pawn in the house that should have been her home. Sure, she loved living with the Fentons but every time she had to leave she felt like they let her go, never fighting. Danny still came with her, but even she could tell that the visit was draining on him.

"You can't even refuse them and you don't even want their money," the raven haired male grumbled. It was true. The main reason she had to take over the hostess duties was keep the money that her grandmother issued the house every year there. When Sam became of age she would inherit the money and could move out, but until then the grandmother was under the impression that the Goth was at home. Turning over to look at her friend she sighed because he was right. She was basically a child between two families. One owned her and the other took care of her.

"I guess that means one less person in this house, huh?" Danny frowned as he looked at her. "Just face it, Danny because I have. I can never be free from them." Looking back up at the ceiling as she fought the sadness that welled in her heart. She was an outcast no matter where she was. An inconvenience to those around her. "I just..." She faded off as she closed her eyes again.

"Oh, hey, did you hear about the Ghost Portal?" Danny inquired. It was his hope that she would get out of the funk she was feeling and Sam was always interested in ghosts, so that fact that his parents hunted them was a big thing for her. She opened her amethyst gaze. Even the thought of ghosts didn't make the pain diminish. "It may not be active, but lets go take a look." Grabbing her arm he hauled her off the bed and toward the lab downstairs. Sam managed to land on her feet and allowing him to drag her downstairs to the door of the lab. They were allowed down here, but only when Jack or Maddie were in the house. They still pushed the door open, the room dark without the light on. The fact of the matter today was that Jazz was at one of her friend's houses while their parents were out of town for the day. Reaching out for the switch on the wall, Danny flicked it on to reveal the rather large space of his parent's lab.

As they approached the large door that held what would have been the Ghost Zone Sam found her interest peaking.

"Wow," she gasped as she grew closer to it, the door to the large hole open for them to see all the wires, and innards of the machine. As Danny grabbed a hazmat suit Sam walked toward the entrance, her foot just barely inside when Danny appeared at her side with another suit. She looked down at it and then back at the room before her. "Thanks." Taking it she pulled it over her regular clothing before taking his hand the pair of preteens looking to each other.

"Are you sure you are ready?"

"It's going to be awesome. I just wish we had a camera." Before she could say another word he pulled out his phone with a camera accessory. Holding out the pair smiled at the lens. Something happened in that instant that neither saw happening. As the pair turned around something flashed before them while the pair felt something push them from behind. Falling forward they stumbled into the portal, Danny falling toward the right wall. As Sam fell into him the sound of click was heard followed by a whirling around them.

As the area around them grew hot and the darkness of the portal grew bright Sam and Danny clung together, both sure that they were dying as pain coursed through them. Currents of electricity crackled around them as the feel of fire coursed through them before darkness was all that they saw.


	6. Chapter 6

With a groan Danny sat up, his head pounding as he looked around to find himself on the floor of his parent's lab. He felt slightly dazed, his head pounding as he looked around and that was when he saw her.

"Sam!" Rushing to his friend's side he turned her over, her black hair replaced with white and the suit on her body similar to the hazmat suit that they had been wearing, but this one was the exact opposite coloring. "Sam, wake up!" he whispered urgently as he lightly shook her. The small Goth groaned as her eyes opened and at the appearance of the green orbs Danny almost dropped her. "Oh, my God!" Sam blinked up at him as a scream of shock erupted from her lips.

"Danny! What in the hell?!"

"Look at you!" they both cried at the same time to which the pair asked still in unison, "What do you mean?" Sam began to struggle to get up, her body buzzing with pain and something else that felt strange to her. Finally making it to her feet the pair flew to the one mirror in the room, their bodies touching at the shoulder as they stared at the identical twins staring back at them save for the fact that the two looking back had white hair and green eyes.

"What happened to us?" Danny inquired as Sam reached out to touch the mirror, her eyes wide in shock and even as she knew she should feel fear, there was none. This was unreal. Turning to him she looked toward the now active ghost portal.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that we may have turned that on." The raven haired boy turned to look at the portal that swirled with a dark and light green substance. "And that it may have done this." Sam walked toward the swirling portal, her hand reaching out to touch it only to have Danny stop her.

"Sam, if that is the case then is it wise to touch it again?" The Goth looked at him, her green eyes swirling with different emotions as she looked back at the portal.

"I don't know what I was thinking, but for some reason I feel like I am being called to this, like something is telling that we are connected. Don't you feel it?" The white haired male looked to the portal in question.

Did he feel it? Well, he did have to admit that the swirling greens were drawing him toward them, but did he feel like there was some connection? He shook his head and Sam took it as his answer. Shrugging she took a step toward the mass of green.

"I want to know what it is. Just because we were hit with something from this thing doesn't make me any less curious to see what it looks like on the inside." She looked to him, her own green eyes staring deep into his. He knew what she was asking without even opening her mouth and she was right. He was just as curious as her to find out what was going on in there. He hadn't meant 'no' when he had shaken his head, he had just been so confused that he felt the need to shake those feelings off. So nodding he took her hand before the pair took a step toward the open portal.

"Sam! Danny!" came Jazz's voice to the shock of both teens. Looking at each other they felt fear. What would Jazz do or say? Would she listen? Would she even believe that it was them to begin with?

"This is going to end on a bad note if we don't do something quick." Sam nodded as she closed her eyes to think.

'How in the hell do we hide the fact that our damn eyes and hair changed?' The sounds of footsteps over them alerted them to the fact that she was heading upstairs first giving them time to get a plan together. "Ok, I have an idea, but we are going to have to get upstairs and into the closet without her seeing us." Telling Danny her plan, the pair quickly rushed upstairs and past the steps that led toward the bedrooms, Danny keeping a lookout for Jazz. Turning a corner they opened a closet and pulling out a couple of hats she shoved one over Danny and another on her own head before pulling Danny toward the back door.

"Okay, so now what do we do?" It struck her that she had failed to really think her plan through and falling to the ground with a groan she shrugged.

"I don't know," she muttered as she laid back on the grass, her long hair fanning out around her. Danny looked at the Goth who almost always had the answers and sitting next to her waited for Jazz to find them. "I guess this means that when your parents find out that we will either be dissected or punished." The male at her side hope that that would not be the case, the dissection anyway. He would rather be grounded for life.

"There you two are!" the red headed teen stated as she walked past the pool and toward the pair of teens waiting on the grass. "What are you two doing out here?" Danny looked to Sam in shock only to find her amethyst eyes looking back at him in shock. Looking down at his own clothing he was baffled to find his normal attire. The black and white hazmat suit was gone. The Goth next to him sat up all the way now as Jazz walked off when neither answered her. "Okay, so just ignore me."

"What happened?" Danny inquired. Sam gave him a look as she shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know that we are lucky."

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A few days later found the pair of teens once again in the Fenton's lab, Tucker with them, but this time Jack stood before them with a smile on his face.

"So it seems that the Fenton Ghost Portal works!" he exclaimed. "I must just be that good!" The trio of teens just rolled their eyes. "Anyway, me and your mother have decided that you three need to learn how to hunt ghosts since Danny will inherit the family business while you Sam, you will help him run it." He turned to Tucker. "I don't know what you will be doing, but I am sure that somehow you will factor into the master plan."

"Is he serious?" the Goth whispered to Danny. The male in the chair next to her nodded. Sam should know better than to ask that. When it came to ghost hunting and his father it was always serious. The raven haired teen leaned back in her chair as her legal guardian proceeded to gab away like the group of teens were actually interested in the lesson.

"Um, Mr. Fenton, I am not going to hunt ghosts because that would be a waste of my good looks," Tucker stated to the irritation of Sam and Danny while Jack just ignored him. "And ghosts don't even exist."

"And I don't know if that is what I want to do since ghosts are just not that big of deal to me," Sam interjected.

"Dad, I told you that I want to be an astronaut." Jack paid little attention as he continued to ramble on.

As the teens sat there though the door to the portal opened and a pair of octopus like creatures appeared from the green depths. Before Sam could even react one of them threw out a green tentacle the slimy appendage wrapping around her form while the other grabbed onto Tucker. It was at that moment that Jack had turned to point things out on the chalk board, the outline of the ghost portal drawn out in white, so he failed to see it happen.

"This is the layout of the ghost portal and it does something. When I figure that out, and I will, then I will explain it to you." Turning to mess with some bottles to his left he failed to notice Danny taking down the green creature holding Sam in it's grasp before both teens fought off the two green ghosts, Tucker returning to his chair with a thump. One was slammed into a wall by Sam as she threw her weight into it, her white hair swirling around her as she kicked off from it, her boots leaving marks on his slimy upper body. On the other side of the same part of the room Danny was swinging the other one around by one of it's slimy appendages while his green eyes flashed in frustration. Releasing it the pair watched as his hit her octopus with a loud squish that Danny's father failed to notice.

As the pair of octopus ghost tried to detangle themselves Sam and Danny rushed at them, the pair working together to throw them back into the open portal. As soon as the door closed the pair de-transformed before returning to their respective chairs as Jack turned back around.

"Now this is the Fenton Thermos." He held up a metallic thermos with green on the bottom half and a small strip on the top below the lid as well as some on one side of it. "It's supposed to catch ghosts, but it doesn't work." Sam looked at Danny and the pair looked to the old male waiting for the one phrase that always came. "But it has the Fenton name!" Tucker was still rather dazed from what had transpired. He had really thought that ghosts didn't exist and now he had been the victim of said ghosts.

SMACK!

Both teens hit their faces with open palms.

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A week later found the teens entering Casper high, neither of them aware that this year school would be harder with their new powers. Holding hands the pair walked down the hall to their respective class, both now sharing classes since the little incident all those years prior. Tucker walked next to them, his PDA beeping away in his hands as he worked on the small electronic device. Passing other students they found all eyes on them, well mostly on Sam because since that day most students learned to watch themselves around her. Paulina was the exception as she stepped before the trio, her teal eyes flashing as she eyed them. Danny still found her attractive, and even knowing she wanted to fight his friend, didn't deter him from wanting to date her. He couldn't help that he liked her anymore than he could help that Sam hated her. Tucker found her attractive as well, but he really wanted her little blond friend.

"Look at the little lovebirds, holding hands and making kissy faces!" the Hispanic beauty said with a smile. Danny immediately removed his hand from Sam's as a blush rose high on his cheeks.

Sam didn't even think twice as she screamed out, "We are not lovebirds!" She was slightly miffed that he had removed his hand, but she had a feeling that he liked the girl and even if it made her mad she couldn't stop his feelings so with a shove into his back she knocked him into the Latina before walking off with Tucker in tow. "Enjoy yourselves!" Running off she left Danny there alone as he looked at Paulina in confusion. Stepping back Danny smiled at her and Paulina frowned. She didn't know why he was just staring at her and as familiar as she was with her regular crew of admirers she hadn't been aware that this raven haired teen was one of them.

"Um, hi Paulina," he said as he scratched his head in unease.

"Doug, right?"

"Danny," he corrected. She looked him over and found that he lacked most of the traits that her normal choice of male had, but he did have potential.

"Well, Danny, you like me and here we are so do you want something?" Danny found his mouth dry and his mind blank at that making the Hispanic teen giggle. 'This is just too good. I haven't had a guy stutter around me or lose his voice like this in a while.' It was true and sad to say she had missed that. Most guys were either to used to her blowing them off or too used to her that they failed to react like they had before. 'I think I will use this boy. Not only to worship me, but to get that creepy little Goth freak back for all these years.' "Do you want to carry my bag for me, Danny?" The halfa blinked as she handed him the bag without a response from him. Taking it he followed behind her as she headed for her class, the one that they were all heading for, unfortunately for Sam.


	7. Chapter 7

Present...

In the crowd of people one person watched with shock as the woman on stage told her story. He hadn't really thought of that in a long time, all that time spent at school...

"I wasn't all that pleased to be spending time with the lovebirds, but I can say that I was happy that he had what he wanted. At that time I decided to back off from hanging around him so much because I found that being the third wheel to be a tad bit disgusting." Silence. "It wasn't just the fact that they were always holding hands and kissing, kissing was nasty to watch, but it was all that names they had for each other."

"What kinds of names?" someone cried out from backstage as the curtain swelled and shifted. Sam looked rather disgusted at the thought of those names, but went ahead and repeated them.

"Honey bear. Papi. Not too many horrible ones at first, but the longer they dated the worse they got and it was usually her that used those really bad ones, like my little boo boo or my personal favorite. My little worker bee! She called him poopsie on a few occasions, but I hate pet names and couldn't stand being in the vicinity of them. There were a few times that the pet names got-" shudders. "Sex related. All those images in my head left me a little green at times."

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Past...

Tucker and Sam walked together, had been more and more since Danny and Paulina had been dating because the techno-geek found the mushiness too much for him as well. In fact the pair often hung out alone when the couple came around. Of course there were times when it was hard to do, like during lunch time when they had to sit together.

"Hello, my little papi," the Latina said in cutesy little voice, the sound of which made Sam grind her teeth while Tucker winced. The pair kept their eyes adverted while Danny and Paulina kissed, the make out session making the other pair gag. "What are we doing today?" the teen murmured as she stroked her boyfriend's chest.

"I don't know," he muttered back, his eyes half lidded. "We could go out to eat and catch a movie." That seemed to make the Hispanic teen happy and she kissed him deeply while at the same time keeping an eye on the Goth who was trying to keep her meal down.

'That's right, little Goth freak. Enjoy the show.' Suddenly the ground shook and food came flying out of the kitchen. As veggie burgers hit several students, most missed, as students fled the area. It was chaos in a matter of seconds and Tucker looked to the Goth at his side with a questioning look. She shrugged as she and Tucker rushed off, the other couple standing to join them. Just as they stood up though the wall cracked, seconds before it was blown away by what appeared to be a large monster made out of meat. Danny managed to shove Paulina out of the way as one of the monster's meaty fists hit him. He was thrown across the room and into a wall just as a white haired female flew past him and into the monster before them.

"Sam," he said in realization that the small Goth had left to change. Moving to get up he was assaulted by his girlfriend who wasn't trying to help him, but trying to get him to help her! Seriously? Forcing her off of him he managed to rise, but as soon as he was up she was again at his side, hindering him from helping as his friend was thrown into a wall, her form disappearing through the large hole in the stone wall. Before he could react though she was back. "Paulina," he said as he grasped her upper arms. "Get to safety!" The queen of Casper looked to him with shock in her teal eyes, but she didn't question him as she rushed off. Danny made sure there was no one left in the lunchroom before going ghost. Taking to the air he shot blasts of lasers at the meat monster.

"That's not going to work!" the Goth cried out as she joined him. "We need to do something else. Something more physical!" Flying at the large monster the pair threw the large meat creature against the lunch wall that was connected to the outside. The windows on that wall shuddered and cracked as the weight of the ghost monster pushed against it. "Intangible!" she screamed as she went intangible, both of them managing to go intangible at the same time forcing the creature to follow suit. Tucker rushed back into the lunchroom just as they were fully out of it. Rushing to the door that would take him outside the geek pulled out the nonactive thermos with a hope that the half ghosts could get it to work.

"Sam!" Danny cried as Sam was bounced off the fat of the meat monster and onto her back. Throwing himself off the monster he went to her aid just as the other half ghost managed to roll over, her body shaking with hacks from the large hit. On all fours she hacked up some spit, but it didn't seem that she had been too hurt, more like she had just had the breath knocked out of her. "You okay?" She nodded.

"We need to knock that meat off of the ghost and get to it!"

"How do you know there is a ghost under there?" Sam told him that when she had shot at it that since it hadn't gotten enough meat to cover it that she had seen the ghost under it. "So how do we do that?"

"Just keep punching at it? I don't know!" she said in frustration. "I am just as new to this as you." Tucker rushed at the teens, in his hand the thermos held tightly. "Tucker?" she questioned as he handed her the container.

"I think that you two can make this work and figured that if Mr. Fenton made it to contain ghosts then what better way to test it than now?" It made perfect sense as both half ghosts looked to each other. Nodding she thanked the geek before the pair took off, Sam throwing Danny the container. When he gave her a confused look she told him that he was stronger and was more likely to understand the idea behind it. After saying that she went after the monster from the right side while Danny took the left side. As they punched and kicked it the meat fell off revealing the ghost controlling the meat suit. There was a splash of pink and green, something that Danny couldn't figure out what it could be.

"You children need your daily dose of ass kicking!" a voice screamed from inside the large monstrosity. Danny fell back as the creature swiped at them, but Sam went intangible as the meat fist went right through her. The next swipe didn't miss because out of nowhere the female half ghost fell out of the air as she became human again just in time for the fist to knock her into the school with a loud CRASH! "One puny meat bag down!" Danny saw red at that moment as he flew up high, his flight stopping when he was up in the clouds before he started his descent.

As he dived down he forced his body to power up, the green glow around him flaring up as he hit the ghost monster head on. "And one big meat monster cooked to perfection!" Danny groaned as he crawled out of the large hole left by the collision of the two powers. Looking toward the school he found Tucker tending to Sam, the small half ghost looking okay save for the dazed look in her eyes. It only took that second for the monster to re-group or in this case to split. Danny found himself surrounded by mini meats and a large lady that resembled a lunch lady looking down at him with a smirk.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice so sweet that Danny even wondered is she were all that evil. Standing straight he stretched his arms out.

"I'm fine." Suddenly he could tell that she was evil as her whole appearance changed, her eyes flashing large and red as she turned into a drill sergeant, her face twisting as veins popped out on her neck.

"Not good! You being fine is not on part of my balanced diet of doom!" Suddenly Danny found himself bombarded with the small meat men from all angles. Reaching for the thermos he found it gone. Looking up he found it several feet away, but close enough to Sam that she could get it. Before he could spit anything out though, he found himself thrust on the ground as the meat attacked him. Thrusting them off of him he began to kick and punch like crazy, his orb powered hands doing little in the way of doing too much damage, but enough that the stacks of meat began to shrink. Thinking he was winning he found his smile faltering as the mini meats grew in size again. As he was fighting the group of meat Sam pointed to the thermos.

"You can't be serious, Sam," the techno geek said as the small half ghost as his side glared at him. "Okay, geez." Grasping the cylindrical container he scooted back to the Goth's side before handing it off. Sam took the lid off before forcing her transformation and transferring her power into the containment device. It glowed in her hands as she pointed it forward, a blue blast of light forcing her back a bit while Tucker assisted in keeping her in place. Danny found himself alone as the meat around him fell to the ground in puddles while the scream from the Lunch Lady filled the air. Turning he found her sucked into the thermos a certain Goth was holding.

"Got her," the teen muttered with a tired smile as she allowed Tucker to support her. Danny walked over, his transformation fading at the same time that Sam lost hers. "That was a really strong one." Danny nodded as Tucker stood, his arms around the half ghost female. "I wish we could go home because I could use some rest." The techno geek helped the small girl as Danny followed close to the pair.

"I could take her, Tucker," the raven haired male said as he reached for her, but before anyone could make a move or speak a word Paulina came crashing into the male teen.

"Tucker can help me," the Goth said with a smile. "Your girlfriend needs your aide." The pair headed off leaving the couple alone while the cheerleader complained of the fact that she had been left with geeks and weirdos. Danny paid her little attention as he watched his friends head off, Sam leaning on the other male as his arm supported her.


	8. Chapter 8

When Danny caught up with them later he found only Tucker, the Goth having gone home due to what the school nurse deemed exhaustion, never mind the fact that she had been knocked into a wall. Seems that even with the knock on the head the school refused to see what had really happened, that Sam had been a casualty of the ghosts haunting the school!

"She okay?" Danny inquired as he sat next to Tucker in their last class of the day. The techno-geek nodded as he tapped something out on his PDA.

"Just a minor thing with her head, in fact she didn't even like the fact that I took her to the nurse, but as she knows that took a lot since I hate that place with a passion." The halfa next to him had forgotten that Tucker hated nurse's offices, well, he hated anything that had to do with hospitals. There had been one time that Sam had had to walk him past the nurse's office with a bag over his head so that the dark skinned male wouldn't hyperventilate.

"I still don't understand why you hate them so much." The geek looked at him, his look one of disgust, but Danny knew it wasn't directed at him. Tucker was thinking about the hospitals.

"I just don't do them because they are stinky and full of people who are hurt or sick." He shudders. "I can't even imagine ever wanting to be in one and don't ever plan on being in one." Turning back as his PDA buzzed he smiled. "Sam says that she's fine, just a minor bump on the head and feeling a little drained, but as the whole having powers is new that makes sense."

"I didn't have that problem," Danny stated raising a brow when Tucker turned to him.

"Sam entered the fight before you, therefor she used more power and the fact that her body is small that also means she doesn't have as much stamina, well, at least not at the moment." The halfa blinked as the teacher called on them to be quiet.

'I didn't think about all that and what in the hell is going on between Tucker and Sam?' Not that he was jealous, but Sam didn't really date, well had never had a boyfriend anyway. Turning back to the teacher he found his mind stuck on that one subject. When the bell finally rang signaling the time for them to go Danny still found that he had yet to shake that thought from his mind, even when his hot girlfriend tried to distract him with a smoldering kiss a few minutes later.

"Danny," she whined as she tugged on his arm, her teal eyes narrowing in frustration. "Danny!" The halfa blinked and smiling down at his girlfriend, took her hand, before heading off toward the Nasty Burger where the couple were going to be hanging out for the next hour or so while Tucker headed toward Sam and Danny's house. For a moment all was well, the halfa with his girlfriend, actually paying attention to her.

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In her room Sam was resting peacefully, well as peacefully as she was allowed with Jazz running around tending to her. When she had gone to the nurse's office, at the insistence of Tucker, she had been instructed to go home and to rest. Jazz had been called to escort her home and the older female had mothered her the whole way there too.

"Now you know that you need to get some rest," the red head said even as Sam protested because Tucker had told her that with a head injury that she needed to stay awake as long as she could. Watching Jazz run back and forth to attend to non existent needs the Goth finally found she had enough.

"Jazz," she said as the red head passed her trying to tidy the Goth's room to said Goth's annoyance. "You can leave me alone now. Tucker said he is on-" She was cut off as the doorbell rang and the red head was off. "his way." Within minutes the dark skinned male was in the room and sighing Sam closed her eyes. "Thank god. Can you close the door?" The geek nodded before doing what she had requested. As soon as the door was closed, he headed back to her computer desk where he sat in the computer chair.

"So, the resident genius bugging much?" Sam groaned, the answer was that simple. "That fun? Glad that I stayed at school." Sam shot him a glare. "Hey, you know it was the right choice to visit the nurse and after all I could tell that you really didn't want to be at school." The sad fact was that Tucker was right. Sam had wanted to leave with all that was going on with Danny. In fact it was disgusting to watch him and the Queen date especially with how she had been so clingy during the battle.

"I was so tired of looking at that stupid thing and her whining was grating on my last nerve!" the Goth groused. "Did you hear her?" Sam winced. "I had to sit with the geeks and all those weirdos! I can't believe you left me with them!" Tucker chuckled at the perfect pitch of the female before him. "I can't see what he sees in her, but that is his own choice."

"You know you are right on that and I have to agree with you, but why did you encourage that?"

"It makes him happy so why not?" She shrugged. "He would do the same for me, but I will be making a better choice than him." At that the pair grew quiet and Sam realized that Tucker was looking at her rather strangely.

"Sam, we have been friends for a long time and I find that I like you a whole lot," he began. "I was wondering if you would go on a date with me?" It took a moment for that to process, Sam's eyes growing wide in shock, but she didn't say 'no'. In fact she looked like she was thinking it over.

"You know what, why not?"

"That sounds very encouraging," was his response. Sam smiled at him and he found himself giving her an answering smile. Sam was different, that was sure, but she was a great woman with her feet on the ground and a good head on her shoulders. "Was that a yes?"

"Yes, it was a yes. So what should we do for our first date?"

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A few hours later Danny returned home with an aching head and a weary body. Paulina had been all over him and as much as he had found some enjoyment in her touches, he found her talking rather annoying. She was still upset about him leaving her in the care of what she considered under her while he had aided the ghost girl. That was the one part of it that he could tell really annoyed her. It wasn't just the fact that she had been left without him, but the fact that he had been at Sam's side. Then again, Paulina didn't know that the pair of teens were the ghost fighters that had defeated the large meat ghost.

"Why can't you just let me go and get my own food?" came the sound of a very irritated Sam. "I was discharged from a school, not a damned hospital!"

"You didn't even rest!"

"Jazz! Leave me alone!" Stomping was heard as Sam appeared on the top of the stairs with a rather anxious looking Jazz at her side. "I told you that I am fine, but if you want me to fall down the stairs I would suggest you back off!" The red head took a step back as Sam took a step forward, the pair of females having failed to notice that Danny was home.

"I'm just worried is all. You were sent home for exhaustion and yet you didn't even rest!" the older female stated as she followed behind the raven haired teen. "In fact Tucker just went home like twenty minutes ago when he should have let you rest." The halfa blinked in shock.

Tucker had been here all day? That was odd. Danny didn't know what to think about that information. Then again, why should it bother him either? Tucker was both of their friends and as Danny had been with Paulina it was only natural for the pair to hang out during that time.

"He came to check up on me and then we talked. As for what I was sent home for, the nurse was obviously stupid, because I have been getting good sleep!"

"What is going on?" Danny inquired, both sets of eyes turning to look at him, but Sam's was the only one that didn't look too shocked as the set of amethyst orbs narrowed.

"What's going on is the fact that Jazz won't leave me alone! I am not a damned invalid," Sam accused as she walked past the other halfa in the room, her bare feet making as much noise as if she were wearing her boots. Danny's next words stopped her cold though.

"Well, you did take a hit," the halfa stated which drew Sam's eyes back at him, the anger in them growing stronger as the shock on Jazz's face became apparent.

"You DID what?!" Sam turned to the older female.

"I got hit by that damned ghost that attacked the school, but I am fine." She then smirked as an idea hit her. "Danny battled her though for Paulina." As the older sibling turned on her brother Sam headed back upstairs, food forgotten as she went back into her room and slammed the door. Sighing she listened as Jazz ripped into the male that was her brother. "Damn you, Danny." Grabbing some clothing from her dresser she changed, the sweat from the battle still on her body, but she ignored the sticky feeling as she did not want to venture back out of her room at that moment. Turning off her light she crawled into bed and found that as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out.

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Downstairs Danny listened to his sister tear into him about taking on a ghost, but Danny knew what he could say that would make her leave him alone. As she started to wind down, the door to the house opened to reveal his parents and that was when it really got interesting.

"Dad, mom, do you know what your son did this afternoon?" Jack looked past his daughter and ignoring the female headed for the kitchen for his snack... fudge as usual while Maddie looked to her daughter.

"What did Danny do, hon?"

"He put himself in danger for a girl!" Jazz said in her most appalled voice. The other, older red head narrowed her purple gaze at her son, the look questioning. "There was a ghost at school and Danny fought it for this girl!" Maddie blinked in confusion. She did find it bad that her son had took on a ghost with little training, and yet if he had done it to protect the girl, then she was proud.

"Danny, you battle a ghost?!" came his father's shocked question as he re-entered the room with a plate of fudge.

Munching on a large bite of the chocolate squares he managed to continue. "That is great! I am so proud of you son, but you really should get some more training so that you can protect this girl better." Smiling at his wife he took another bite. "Like I do for your mother." The other ghost fighter sighed in annoyance. Yes, she loved her husband, but in any battle it was obvious who protected who.

"And Sam was hit by the same ghost!" Jazz cried, not understanding why her parents would encourage their teen son to battle. "She was sent home from school because she was hit by it." The pair of older ghost fighters looked to their son for an explanation.

"She was... helping me." It was the only thing that came to mind, but it seemed to satisfy his father even as his mother frowned.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for-"

"Maddie! Don't worry about them! They took one down!" Walking off Jack left the trio standing there, all of them with different emotions.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning found Sam still sleeping when she should have been getting ready and when Danny knocked on her door the only words she had for him were fuck off. If he wasn't so worried about the fact that his parents were in the house and could catch him he might try something ghostly, but knowing they were there left him with only one route. To find and complain to his parents. Surely they would make her get up.

They were where they always were, in the lab working on an invention, most of the inventions inactive and all for ghost hunting. Running down the stairs he entered the large brightly lit lab to find his father standing by one of many new and some non working panels with his mother in what appeared to be a submarine mixed with a space rocket or something. It was hard to explain since it was something so hard to imagine being built... but his parents did it. They always did that... invented something so strange that you had no real words to describe it, but then when his father named it... That was when you were really left speechless.

"Hey, mom, dad," he started, his mother peeking her head out from the contraption while his father gave him a customary glace before returning to his work.

"Danny, why aren't you at school?" She looked to the watch on her hand. "You have like ten minutes to get there." Danny frowned as his dad continued to work on the panel to the left of the large machine. His mother stepped out while pulling back her hood and goggles. She didn't look pleased with the fact that her youngest was down in the lab when he should be at the school getting an education.

"Well, that was why I am down here because I am ready to go, but Sam refuses to come out of her room." His mother's eyes narrowed and when she began to talk he could hear the motherly tone that she only used when she really wanted to get something across to him or to Jazz.

"Well, she did get hit by the ghost so she is entitled to stay home for one day." The halfa standing before her didn't like that idea and opened his mouth to state as much, but his mother shook her head as she pulled her hood and goggles back on. That was a sign that she was done with that conversation. "Danny, Sam is hardly absent from school, and for the record you have been late at least 1/3 of the time. Give her a break." Shoving her son toward the lab's stairs and then toward the lab's wide door she ushered him out the door and after handing him some lunch money said one more thing, "Don't forget to grab her homework." As the door slammed Danny found himself quite confused.

"What just happened?"

"Are you talking to yourself?" Tucker inquired. Turning to look to his left Danny found the techno-geek standing there with a smirk. "I think that's okay until you start answering yourself." Noticing that Sam wasn't with the halfa he said, "I guess she is still not feeling all that well." That's when Danny remembered that Tucker had been with Sam almost all evening before he had gotten home.

"What is up with you and Sam?" The geek was slightly taken back by the question and narrowing his gaze asked Danny what he meant by that. "I was told that you were here almost all evening."

"Well, since you were out with your girlfriend I figured I would check up on Sam and when I got here I realized that she had a concussion so I stayed to keep her awake. Got a problem with that?" Danny didn't know why but he felt that Tucker was keeping something from him and yet he couldn't put a finger on it, but it did make sense that if Sam had a concussion that she needed to stay awake and judging by what Jazz had said that was what Tucker successfully had done.

"Sorry, dude, I guess I was just worried," he stated.

"Worried? Dude, you were acting jealous, but I guess that is normal since Sam is like your sister and you have been together for way longer than I have." The halfa blinked his eyes in confusion.

'Jealous? Why would I be jealous?!'

"It's normal for a brother to be jealous because she no longer spends all her time with you, but you grow out of it. Oh, and I thought I should tell you that she and I are going on a date this weekend. I would ask if you want to double date but I am sure that both girls would kill each other before the night is through." Danny found himself having to calm himself down because he was feeling the urge to kill the male next to him and that wasn't a good idea.

'Why are you so mad? Tucker is a friend and would never do anything to harm Sam! So calm the fuck down and get to school.' Danny shook it off before saying, "You're right. Hey, we should get to school before my mom catches me still here." Chucking the pair headed off while Sam watched from the window above.

At least they aren't fighting. Sam had been worried when Tucker had told her friend that the pair of them were dating and she was soooo glad that Danny had agreed that a double date was a bad idea because his date would be dead within the first five minutes, if that. Sighing she laid back on her bed, her head still throbbing lightly, but she was still fuming over last night and how Danny had added his two cents in. "Damned male!" she muttered harshly as she reached for the remote to turn on her radio. Sighing she closed her eyes just as the phone rang downstairs.

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A few hours later, while Danny was still at school Maddie and Jack headed up to the Goth girl's room, the door still shut and locked, and knocked. When at first she didn't respond and the sound of music filtered through the door the pair knocked louder.

"Sam, we need to talk honey," Maddie said as the sound of the music being turned down was heard seconds before the sound of the door being unlocked. Sam opened it and backing up crawled back into her bed, her eyes glazed with sleep as the red head sat down next to her on the edge of the bed and Jack sat in her computer chair. "We just got the message from your father, well from Mr. Manson, and it looks like she's not going to make it." At that point Sam began to wake up and fear began to fill her small form at the thought of her biological mother dying meant. "She hasn't been fighting, in fact they think she has given up and is just letting herself d-"

"How long?" the Goth muttered, her eyes closing as she took a deep breath. She was beginning to feel nauseous, her stomach groaning and rolling.

"Less than a week but more than a few days."

"I don't want to go back there, not ever," the small raven haired teen groaned. "I can't go back there or I'll die." Then it hit her. She would be going back there for three years! Three LONG years! "I need you not to tell Danny," she said softly. The Fentons wanted to ask why, but the couple had an idea why because if Danny found out then he would want to stay with her and this time it was highly unlikely that that would be the best plan with how long she would stay at that house. "I probably won't even be going to Casper anymore, hell, I probably won't even get to leave that house."

"If you need us you know you can call us," Maddie stated as her husband nodded. "You may not be our flesh and blood, but we love you as one of our own." Sam nodded, but she was dead to everything. It was truly over... this paradise that she had been allowed to live in for all these years. She had prayed and hoped that Pamela would live, but God was punishing her now and letting the woman die.

"I just want to be alone, please," Sam said as she laid back down. The older couple nodded before leaving her alone, this time when she turned on the music it was sad music that played through the speakers. 'I won't survive at that house, not if it's just me, but I can't let Danny go with me again because he has more freedom and shouldn't be caged...' Not that she deserved it, but maybe she did with the fact that she was born into that house that hadn't wanted her. It was her sin as much as it was theirs. Curling into a ball she closed her eyes as the music played softly.

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Danny came home and Tucker came in with him, the pair heading for Sam's room only to be stopped at the front door by Jack. The large male informed the pair of male teens that Sam was still feeling bad and if they wanted to see her she had to allow them into the room. Nodding the two teens exchanged a confused with each other before heading up toward said Goth's room. The door was still closed but when Danny turned the knob he found it was unlocked. Opening the door found Sam passed out, well passed out for the most part because when the light from the hall hit the sleeping teen the female in question let out a little whimper.

"What the hell?" Danny muttered as both teens entered the domicile before shutting the door. The halfa was the first to approach her bed while Tucker laid her school work on the desk that held her computer. As Danny laid a hand on her should the small teen awoke, her eyes popping open and looking rather dazed. When she realized that she was looking at Danny she sighed, her eyes closing again as she stretched. Sitting up she noticed that Tucker was in the room also. "We brought you your work, but are you really still hurting?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Sam inquired with a stutter of confusion. "Hurting?" Then it hit her. "Oh, no, not really. Why?" When they told her that was what Danny's father had said it hit her why he had said that. "No, he must have thought that since I was still in bed." Silence fell over the room. "So you guys want to go to the Nasty Burger? My treat." The teen males nodded as before she shooed them out to change. She figured that if this was the last few days she had with them then she wanted to make it the best so when she had to leave maybe they wouldn't be so mad at her.


	10. Chapter 10

Present...

"What I didn't know and what Danny didn't find out was a little surprise my father had planned." Looking out the crowd she gave a bittersweet smile. "I never told him what happened over there, never. I went on my date with Tucker and made the pair of them feel so special with all that I did to spoil them while at the same time I planned an escape because I truly didn't want to go back. Unfortunately I wasn't so lucky as Pamela died a day ahead of what they thought. It came as a surprise to all since she had been doing so well that day and then suddenly she took her last breath and was gone. She was alone, her death a solitary one." Not a sound was heard in the crowd, Sam taking a deep breath was the only sound to her.

"On the night that I was to run Thurston came for me. Luckily and I guess sadly Danny was staying over at Tucker's for the night. I don't know what happened at their house, but I am sure that when he found out he was pretty upset, but like most of us we move on."

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The past...

Opening the door to allow Thurston in, the pair of ghost fighters gave him cold looks while they took him to her room, where at that time Sam had been double checking all her supplies. She had packed only the important things, most of which only had sentimental value to her. In the middle of re-zipping her backpack, the zipper sticking slightly around her possessions, she heard the sound of the door opening. Glancing at the door she felt fear seize her as the blond heir approached her with the Fentons standing stiffly behind him.

"Ah, so good of you to be prepared," he stated, his voice detached as he eyed her with his cold blue eyes. "Not that you will need any of these things, if you can even call them that." Even with the fear still choking her the raven haired Goth felt anger well up strong. Indignation and anger combining at the way her father was talking about her stuff! "Come along," he said as he reached out to grasp her arm. Sam scooted back, her spider backpack held close to her as she glared at him, her own amethyst eyes like stones. Thurston's blue eyes became hard as ice as he eyed his child. "Samantha Alexandra Manson," he ground out. He didn't want to deal with her any more than she wanted to be around him, but he had to take her back.

"That is not my name! I hate it and I abhor you!" Her tone was so venomous that the wealthy man took a step back until he remembered that she was a child and this child needed to be disciplined. Forgetting that there were others in the room for a moment the wealthy male grasped Sam roughly around her upper arm, his fingers biting into her pale flesh while at the same time the flesh under his fingers began turn a pink before turning red. At that moment Jack stepped in, his own dark blue eyes narrowing as reached out to take hold of the wrist that held Sam's arm.

"Now you can't handle her like that!" the raven haired male thundered. He knew that he couldn't stop the man from taking Sam, but he wasn't about to let him manhandle her. Thurston turned quickly to the male that had raised his child, his eyes narrowing on the large male. He could do what he wanted with his child and as afraid as he was of the larger male, he sized him up as he threw off Jack's grip.

"Fenton, I thank you for raising her, although she has no manners to speak of, but this is still my daughter and I will handle her how I see fit." Yanking Sam up the blond male hauled her to his side, her fingers never left the bag though and even as he told her to leave it she shook her head. "Samantha, you must release the bag or I will be forced to remove it from you." Again Sam shook her head and when Maddie began to step up with a very irate Jack, the Goth shook her head at them.

"No," she stated, her eyes flickering to them for a split second. "Mr. Manson, I will not release the things that are precious to me and you will never make me, so either you release me or take me with all that comes with me." At first it looked like he would release the teen, but as they watched his eyes and his face they could tell that he was thinking of all he would lose. Shaking his head he told her to keep the stupid bag, his tone angry but Sam found that that one victory made her feel a little better. Pulling it on she said her goodbyes, the tears that wanted to come out hanging on her lashes. She wanted to brush them off, but her father was yanking her toward the front door as quickly as he could.

As they dashed out into the car that was waiting the Fentons watched with sadness in their hearts, but little did they know that a lot was about to change for the two families. As the car pulled away Sam looked out the window, the tint too dark for the ghost fighters to see the small girl as the limo turned down the street and away from what Sam had known as her home for several years.

"You might as well get over it because you will never see them again." The Goth threw a glare at her father, her amethyst eyes drilling into her parent's own blue eyes. "Don't look at me like that." When she failed to avert her gaze he reached out to slap her across the cheek. Wincing the Goth fell back, the look of shock flickering across her face before disappearing. Sam sat back, but moved as far from the blond male as she could. Looking out the window she noticed that they were not on their way back to the Manson home.

"Where are we going?" she inquired, fear making it's way back into her heart. She knew what was happening and knowing it made her shake with fear.

"We are leaving the city for a while." Sam's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't say that you have to be the hostess of that house so I want to leave the city and take a break." The Goth looked back out the window with the realization that she was truly never going to see the Fenton's again, but there was one thing that her father didn't know and that was the fact that she had her laptop with her, the one that had wireless internet.

'At least I can still talk to them.' Even with her Facebook she knew she wouldn't get to update her pictures, the only thing she would get to do was update her status, but that was fine with her. As they drove toward the airport Sam said her mental goodbyes to the only town she would call home. 'Bye Danny. Maybe some day.'

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The next morning Danny and Tucker entered his house, their excited voices echoing in what had to be an empty home as they walked toward the stairs. Danny was the first to notice the silence in what was normally a loud home. Around them was dark, the blinds shuttered, the lights out. There were no sounds of work, no food smells. It felt dead.

"Mom! Dad!" Glancing at the ghost clock hanging in the hall he noted it was past ten so his parents definitely had to be awake. Heading for the lab he failed to hear any sounds of work coming from the basement, that and it looked like the lights were off. Opening the door he stuck his head into the darkened space to confirm that his parents were not in their usual area. "That is so strange."

"What is?" Tucker inquired from his spot by the stairs as he gave the halfa a strange look. Danny gave him a response about his parents always being in the lab to which the dark skinned male stated, "Long night?"

"That has never stopped them before and the house is also super quiet. Where are Sam and Jazz?" Tucker shrugged. The geek made a mention about the fact that the Goth hated morning, so she was probably sleeping. "You may be right." Heading for the stairs the pair of teens walked toward Sam's room to find the door shut and upon testing the knob, locked. "Damn! Is she still upset?"

"No," came a voice from the direction of Jazz's room. The teenagers looked to find the red headed female in the doorway of her room, her eyes slightly red. "Dad and mom locked the room." Danny took a step toward his sister, the look on her face so unlike the normally enthusiastic female.

"What do you mean? Why would they lock her room?" The halfa had a sinking feeling about what was going on, but he was hoping and praying that he was wrong. "Jazz?" The teen in question turned back to her room, something muttered under her breath. Tucker moved to stand next to Danny as Jazz returned with two envelopes, the mail products both black.

"Sam was taken last night while you were gone and I was asleep." Silence greeted her as the halfa stared down at the foreboding letter. Tucker didn't look too thrilled as he held his like it was a murder weapon. "Dad and mom didn't tell me much, but I think that they fear for Sam's safety."

"And why wouldn't they?" Danny burst out in anger as he eyed his sister with surprise. "You didn't go to that house with her! You didn't see the way they treated her!" He sputtered for a second as it hit him. The house! Turning from the pair he rushed down the stairs. It took the pair a moment to realize where he was going so taking off after him the trio ran down the streets. As they turned the corner they were shocked to see the large vans parked out in front of the Manson's house. "What the fuck?" the halfa questioned as he stopped feet from the first van. Several men moved little bits of furniture, nothing big, out of the house.

Jazz walked past him and toward one of the hulking males. He seemed to see her so turning to look at her she saw the clipboard in his hands.

"Um, hi, we knew the Mansons and were wondering what was going on?" He looked her up and down, her disheveled appearance, and lack of proper clothing, curious to him but shrugging he gave her an answer.

"Mrs. Manson passed away and the husband, Mr. Manson, wants her stuff moved out." Jazz let out a sigh of relief until he continued as he glanced at the papers in his hand. "He plans on being out of state for a while though so I, as the caretaker of this house, am to make sure that everything is taken care of until his return."

"NO!" They turned to find a very upset halfa screaming his rage and sadness to the skies as Danny fell to the ground. "Sam!" This couldn't be happening! I am never going to see her again? That was what it was beginning to look like.


	11. Chapter 11

A few hours later found Sam standing before a mansion, the large monastery looking building foreboding. Looking up at the clouds that were forming in the Paris skies she could tell that Mother Nature was understanding of her plight. Her father was still talking to the groundskeeper, the older heavy set male gesturing so much that the Goth was sure his hands would fly off at any moment.

"He says that it is dusty, but everything is in working order," Thurston stated. "That will be one of your many tasks as hostess to the Manson homes. You will hire and fire many workers, but for this house," he stated looking at her, a gleam in his blue eyes. "You will keep yourself."

"What?" she questioned. She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"This is your new home. I will be heading back to the states. You will be under our family's thumb and less likely to escape to the Fentons." When Sam frowned, her brows drawing together. "Oh, and the fun part is that there is no internet as well as the fact that the phone is coin operated, so unless you have change there will be no phone usage." Turning from her he headed back for the car. "Enjoy your preparation as Mistress of the house." As he drove off Sam looked back to the house just as the front door opened to reveal a rather tired looking woman in her late sixties.

"Come, child," the lady said, her tone harsh and yet so weary as she waited for Sam to approach. Sam looked back at where the gate to the manor was closing and knew she was stuck. "Hurry or I will lock you out." On a sigh, Sam headed toward the older lady. "Time to get you changed and ready for the first year of work."

'Just great.'

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Present...

"That first year was horrible, but I never said a word even as I was forced to do slave labor because living with the Fentons I had done harder labor than what those people could ever dream. It seemed to piss my father off with every month he found I had not broken." Silence. "I was sad because I couldn't even see my friends, not on the internet and I was never allowed to use the phone and since I had no money there was no way for me to even consider using it."

"It got worse though because as I angered my father I also was the only thing keeping him in the money. He decided to go a different route."

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Past...

As Sam walked back into the house after her afternoon walk she found herself surrounded by the house staff.

"What is going on?" she questioned the woman known as Marie. Marie had been the woman from the start and she still wasn't any nicer. In fact she was down right mean when she wanted to be. She forced Sam to wear colorful clothing, even when the Goth protested loudly or when she colored the clothing with ink. That had stopped after the first time because Marie had taken all the pens and paint away. Well, the black was gone.

Today Sam was wearing a pink pair of jeans with a white top that read Princess in pink glitter. Marie stepped forward, something hidden behind her back as she eyed Sam.

"Miss Samantha, you will be meeting your future groom today." With that said the older woman held out a bright pink dress with so many frills that Sam found herself holding back the vomit that rolled in her throat. "Don't give me that look." Sam shook her head as she attempted to back away, unfortunately for her the group that had positioned themselves around her wouldn't allow her to leave.

"Damn it," were the last words from her lips before she was jumped. A few moments later after all the fussing was over from the women doing her hair Sam stood before them with the largest scowl on her face. "I hate you all," she muttered. "I hope that Death finds you cold in your bed." As soon as she said those words the doorbell rang.

"Behave," Marie warned as the door was opened to allow a young brunette male into the house. Just by looking at him Sam found her heart stopping. Was it from fear? Was it from appreciation? She wasn't sure, but looking at the handsome male she found that she was paralyzed. "Welcome Master Rayden." Stepping aside she gestured at Sam. "Master Rayden, this is Mistress Samantha." The male before her seemed to take her appearance in, his cobalt eyes unfeeling and yet so full of something she couldn't name.

"Hello, Mistress Samantha. I have heard plenty from your mother and father about you." Sam blinked. The male before her wore a suit the shade of the bluest ocean, the color bringing the cobalt blue of his eyes forward while his brunette locks were short and tidy. This was not her normal preference of male, but for now she was stuck with him.

'I can get rid of him quickly and my father will send another, but I will not marry one of them!' She had to admit that the male before her was rather nice looking, but still he was as bad as her parents and she refused to marry someone that would treat her or any children she wanted to have like her parents had. "You don't need to call me that. My name is simply Sam, nothing fancy since I have never been a Manson in any sense of the word." At first she thought she had offended the other teen until he smirked.

"Well, you should call me Ray then," he stated. Marie looked on in horror, her face so hilarious that Sam felt a giggle escape. "So, Sam, if you aren't a Manson, then what do you call yourself?" That was how the day started and Sam found herself by the end of the day the Goth found that Ray, though one of the wealthy, was still rather laid back.

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On the other side of the world a particular male, halfa, as he was known as, was busy saving someone from Skulker, a ghost that just loved to hunt humans, well, rare creatures. Danny had found himself on that list and was none too pleased with it either. Lately the mechanical hunter had been looking rather bored, the halfa having beaten him one too many times.

"What's the matter, losing your edge?" Danny yelled as he dodged another blast. The ghost hunter growled as he aimed another blast at the teen halfa. The ghost hunting half ghost had found his rhythm, though he still didn't feel complete without his other half. Every night he had gone to her house to find it was still empty. He checked her Facebook page to find that it had no activity ever. It brought him some comfort to see her face, even if he was sure in the last year that she had been gone that she had changed.

Tucker came barreling out of nowhere, the thermos held out before him as it sucked in Skulker. Turning to Danny he nodded. Danny came down, his white boots touching the ground while his head stayed so far away from it all.

"Thinking about Sam?" the dark skinned geek inquired. When Danny didn't immediately answer Tucker continued. "We will see her again... someday." The halfa nodded, though he was beginning to wonder if they would ever really find the Goth or she would ever come back. "Trust me, Danny. You know her. She doesn't want to be there any more than they want her there, so you know when she gets the chance she will be back."

That was true and the halfa knew it. She hated the Mansons and would never stay there. She just has to stay there until she was eighteen. Sighing he headed back toward his house, but not before heading to the alley to transform back to his human form. "Only two more years."

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The next few months were spent saving the city for Danny while Sam grew closer to Ray, the young male just a few years older than her and just like her in so many ways, until one day while she was out in the yard with him. Marie had reported to Thurston about their budding relationship while at the same time telling him about the fact that Ray was too much like Sam with his lax attitude and disregard for all things proper.

"So, Sam, why are you even here still?" Sam looked to him in confusion. "I could help you escape." That was a light at the end of tunnel and Sam was seriously worried that it was like the old cartoons that she watched with Danny. The one where the coyote tried to catch the roadrunner which sometimes meant that he ran into a painted wall. That brought a chuckle to her lips. "What's so funny?" Ray asked with a confused look.

"I was just thinking about a friend of mine and the stuff we did when we were younger."

"Danny, right?" Sam blinked. Had she talked about Danny with Ray? Thinking back she couldn't think of a time she had ever talked to the male about her friend. She hadn't wanted anyone to know her weakness, not that her father didn't know.

"I never told you about Danny," she said softly, her eyes taking in the fact that Ray seemed a little nervous, his eyes failing to meet hers. "How do you know about Danny?" When he still failed to say anything Sam's amethyst eyes narrowed. "Have you and my father been peeking at my stuff?!"

It only took a moment for Ray to become upset by her probing stare.

"Yes, I did!" the male yelled as he threw up his hands. "Your father paid me to be like you and to check through your stuff as well. I was give information on you over the last several years just so I could become like you." For some reason the Goth before him paled even as her cheeks flushed. "You have told me a few things, but you have never been open because you were already suspicious of me!"

"Damn right I was! And now I know that I was right!" Sam turned to walk away only to be stopped by his hand on her arm. Turning to look at him she threw him her coldest stare, her amethyst orbs like the stone they were named after. "Let me go." It was quiet, but it was stern. Ray refused to release her as he pulled her toward him, but Sam fought until it all went black as pain burst in the back of her head.


	12. Chapter 12

Danny flew up in his bed, his eyes wide as pain shot through his head. What the fuck? Holding his head he could feel the dull aching toward the back of his skull, the piercing pain shooting down his spine. A headache This late? Crawling out of bed he headed for the bathroom and some pain pills, the light from the bathroom shocking his pain into becoming worse. Taking some pain pills he headed back toward his bed, the moon shining through his bedroom window. Closing his eyes he found himself thinking about Sam and her love of the night. Soon.

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"How could you be so stupid!?" a man screamed as Sam woke up, her amethyst orbs burning with the brightness of the light in the room. Looking to her side where the voices were coming from she felt fear shiver down her spine.

"She figured it out and then she was going to LEAVE!" another male voice cried out, his tone desperate and frustrated. A slam sounded as the Goth lay there, her body shaking in fear.

"Hitting her from behind was not the way! You could have KILLED her and then where would I be?! Huh?! And what about you? You would have lost your meal ticket!" Sam sat up to find that she was fine, her arms were mobile and her legs could move so while these two males argued she should try to escape. Climbing off of the table she had been laid on she looked around, the room small and perfectly square. There were two doors and a window that was big enough for her the creep out of. That was her best choice because there was no telling where she was or how big the place was.

Moving toward the window she kept an ear out for the men in the other room. Reaching out she was surprised to find it unlocked and that it wasn't one she had to push open so looking around she located a small chair. Grabbing it quickly she rushed to get it in place as the voices grew heated.

"You should thank your lucky stars that she is even alive!" Pushing the window open before hopping up to the window seal the small Goth climbed out just as the door opened to reveal the older of the two men. "Hey! She's gone!" The younger male rushed in and seeing the window flap back toward them, pointed it out before the pair headed for the exit, but by that point the small raven haired girl was gone.

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Sam rushed down the street, her heels clomping as the pink dress swished around her. Turning a corner she found a church, the large building dark and knowing that was somehow her sanctuary, she rushed forward. Hearing shouts to her right she forced her body to run faster, the pain in her legs an after thought as she grasped the the handle to the large building. As soon as she was in the small Goth shoved the door closed just as cursing was heard. Looking around at the darkened building she thought of where she should hide because chances were that the two men had seen her run into the building and soon they would be here. Seeing a small closet in the distance she rushed forward, her steps loud in the empty building.

Moving around the pews of the church she made it to the small room to find that she was in a confessional, but it didn't seem like anyone was in the other side, so hunkering down she closed the door, her breathing harsh as she waited for any sound. In her mind she knew that she needed to leave this place and get away from the men following her, but if she tried to leave now while they were so diligently following her, she would end up back where she started. It seemed like hours that she waited there, but it was mere minutes and just when she thought of coming out the sound of the doors to the large church burst open in anger. It was followed by the stomping of boots as two people entered the building.

They said nothing as they began to search around the pews, but Sam could hear them and they were growing closer to her hiding place by the minute. Looking around she could see nothing in the darkness of the small space. Did this door have a lock? Should she even see if it did because that might make noise and then they would know where she was, but at the same time she was a sitting duck. With every noise that brought them closer to her the more the Goth felt like fleeing and just as the knob above her began to twist she heard something that made her sigh with relief.

"Can I help you gentleman?" came a very English sounding male. When they did not answer the man asked again, but this time in French. "Puis-je vous aider, messieurs?"

"We are looking for someone," one man said. "My daughter. She ran away and is seriously ill." Sam blanched. Would the other man turn her over.

"There is no one in this place but me," came the response. "If this child had come in here then I am sure I would have seen her, but I have only seen you two in the last few moments enter this sanctuary."

"I thought you saw her come in here?" the male questioned the other man with him. When the man gave his confirmation the man said, "He is sure he saw her." Again the man of the church said he had seen no one and advising them that even if someone had come in here they were safe by the laws of the church.

"This is a holy place so if this child of yours had run in here then she is safe to stay and you may not remove her."

"No," stated the male from before. "She has to claim sanctuary to be safe."

"Not if she is hiding," came the simple response. "That is her cry." The male growled low, his words hateful. "I ask that you leave as I will call the authorities to come and remove you if you fail to do as I ask." More swears were heard, but he left, his parting words a threat. As the door closed, silence descended in the building. "If you are truly here then you are safe." Sam was unsure if she should come out, but she believed him when he said she was safe, she just didn't feel safe. Reaching out she watched in shock as her fingers went through the door.

"What the hell?" she gasped just seconds before the door was opened for her.

"Hello, ghost child," the man before her said, his voice soft and his eyes gentle. She blinked up at him in confusion. "I have waited to meet you as I have seen your image in papers from the States."

"The States? Where am I?" The man smiled sadly at the knowledge she knew nothing. "Do you know me?"

"Ah, so you have been washed of all your memories." Reaching out, the small girl flinching as his hand grew close. She shook her head as she forced herself up.

"I know my name, well my first name, but I don't know why I am here and even how I got here." The man nodded as he stepped back to allow her past him, the back of her dress dirty and bloodstained.

"Well, I can tell you some, but I don't know all of your story because I am just assuming." Sam sat down on the pew in the front, watching the man as he too sat down, but on the stairs before her that led to the small altar with the Holy Mother on it. "You are the same teenager who was in Amity with another teen that fight ghosts in your small town, but there was only a few reports with you in them. Over a year ago that female stopped showing up in the papers, her whereabouts unknown to the press as the male known as Danny Phantom continued to fight the ghosts."

"I know him and I remember Amity, but I can't piece together all of it. I remember my parents, well, I think they are my parents because they seem to adore me, but I don't know that for sure. I just know I want to go home." The man nodded in understanding. This teenager knew most of what she needed to save for what must have happened to her in the last year or longer.

"I think I can help you with that, but we are going to contact someone in Amity so that we can find out more." She shook her head. "No?"

"I don't think that contacting someone will do us any good. I don't know why I think that, but I feel like it's a bad idea." She looked thoughtful. "I can just walk most of the way, but after that I am lost."

"Child, you are in Paris, France. I don't think walking would work at all over here." At those words the small Goth became pale, her eyes wide in confusion. "There is a way I can help you though, but you will have to play a part." The teen looked at him suspiciously. "Nothing too bad, but if we dress you as a sister then I think that we can at least get you to the States." He stood and headed for the back of the church, his steps fading within minutes as he headed for what looked like a back room. Picking up a phone he began to dial. Sam walked toward him, her amethyst eyes watching him with unease.

'Could this work?' That was the question. She stopped just feet from where he was, her form bending down to sit, the pink dress falling around her. She eyed the gown with distaste. How did I end up in something so ugly? Was it those men?

"I have it all worked out, but they can only get you so close and then you are on your own." Sam looked to him for the rest of it. It took him minutes to explain it while they waited for the person that would be helping her to show up. After explaining it to her he handed her a black robe, an obvious nun looking outfit before handing her a habit, the headpiece that they wore to cover their head. Sam looked at it questionably before looking to him. He pointed to the office indicating that there was a bathroom she could change. Sam shook her head before standing. She handed him the outfit before reaching around the edge of the waist before she began to rip the skirt off real short.

After that she ripped the sleeves off, she grabbed the robe to pull it over her head. After securing the outfit was on her she pulled the habit on with the aid of the male before her. Ensuring that her hair wasn't visible the man handed her a small crucifix necklace. At first she eyed it, her hesitation in taking it obvious before slipping it over her head. Looking up at him she heard the sound of the door to the church opening. She wanted to turn around, but he stepped before her as the men from before entered again, but this time after them was a nun, the older woman looking calm even knowing who the men were.

"I have asked that you leave," the priest stated as the nun continued past them and toward where Sam stood with her back to them. The man shook his head. "What is that you want? I have told you that whomever you were looking for is not here." As he bought her time the nun went to stand by Sam, the small teen taking small breaths to calm down as the men continued to insist that she was there.

"We do not know what kind of game you are pla-"

"This is a holy place and you want to infect it with your hate and greed!" the nun bellowed, her eyes flashing as she looked to the men before her. "I have called the local authorities and they are on their way. Please leave before you bring anymore hate into the place of God and the Holy Mother."


	13. Chapter 13

After her father had left Sam was given her instructions and the path that she would take to get home. Clutching them close to her she followed the real nun out onto the streets were a large bus full of ladies waited for her. This bus would take her to the train where they would catch a boat to the cross the sea. Sam was nervous as she looked out the window, her last view of the church, but also the two men that watched the bus depart. She turned away slowly as she looked down at the map and the papers that came with it authorizing her passage back to the USA.

'Where do I go from there though?'

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The next morning Danny was crawling out of bed when he heard his mother shouting with her husband, the pair very hateful sounding as they complained about something. Moving slowly he crept toward the door where he could hear them better.

"I can't believe he would even accuse us of that!" Maddie cried, her tone upset. "I don't know what is wrong with that fucking male, but he has pissed me off for the last time!" Jack was quiet for a moment as his wife ranted on. The halfa had no idea what they were talking about, but Danny knew there was only one person that pissed his mother off that bad and that was Manson, Thurston Manson. Why would she be talking about him though? The man had gone with Sam in attempt to keep the pair apart, so why was he bothering them now?

"I am just as pissed, but now I am worried. Why would he call about something this trivial unless it has already happened?" That stopped his mother for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. "This means she could be out there alone in danger and we don't even know where!" Danny stepped out of his room now, his feet taking him to the top of the stairs where he could hear them still but they couldn't see him.

"She might call us though." His mother sounded hopeful, but with her husband's next words that hope was dashed.

"I doubt he gave her any money or hell, even allowed her to keep her phone we gave her."

'What was going on?' He backed up and moving back into his room grabbed his cell and typing in a number waited for the person on the other end to answer. At the response he said, "You need to come over here because something big is going on!" At the affirmative from the other person he hung up before dressing quickly and running down the stairs, his parents quiet now. "Mom. Dad." They looked to him and just by looking into his eyes they could tell that he had heard all of it.

"Thurston called moments ago asking if Sam had been talking to us," Jack stated. "When I told him no he went off accusing me of filling her head with ideas of running away, but he never said she had." He paused as Maddie nodded. "We still think she may have because he hasn't called us once this entire time she has been with him and for him to call us like this..." he faded off. Everyone knew that it meant something had gone down.

Knock.. Knock..

Danny turned from his parents and answered the door to Tucker, the techno-geek entering the home before waving at the Fentons. Maddie and Jack looked to Danny, but they knew what he was planning and even though they were worried on how he would pull finding the Goth off, they trusted him to take care of it. Leaving them alone the pair of teens headed for his room.

"So, what is going on?" Tucker inquired as he closed the door behind them. "Your parents look like they saw a ghost or something." Danny sat before his laptop, the screen blinking to life as he moved the mouse attached to it. Tucker came over to him as he pulled up Sam's still active Facebook. "Sam? What about her?"

"She went missing from her father's house." It was simple. She had gone missing, but what was going to make it complicated was how to find her. "Since we have no idea where she is we can only hope that she knows to come home, but I was wondering if there was anyway to hack the phone number Thurston called from this morning?" Tucker smiled. That was his specialty. Nodding he headed back out of the room and to the hall phone that was connected the main line.

"This might take a minute, but hopefully I can get us some results."

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At that same moment in France Sam was sleeping, the night skies twinkling with stars as the bus drove past a sign alerting all to the fact that they were now entering Poitiers, just hours from where they had started. The bus jerked a little, but Sam was so tired that she didn't even stir. Still clutched in her hand was the map with all that she needed for her trip.

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"Damn it!" came a curse as Tucker looked down at his watch a few hours later. "This is taking forever! I never knew that Thurston was that smart." Danny came out of his room, his eyes taking in his friend laying against the wall with the phone still between his legs, his PDA attached to it. The geek looked up at him in frustration. "Seems he had someone route this through like hundreds of places and back again, but most of them come back to one area."

"Really?" Tucker nodded.

"It could mean that is where they are and I don't doubt it since it is overseas." The halfa sat down with a groan. His friend was overseas?! How could he help her now?

'No! Don't think that way! I will save her!' He waited for Tucker to continue.

"Now, hacking into the city files I have found that Thurston does own real estate overseas, quite a few of them, but from where I can tell on the PDA most of the numbers route back to France." That was good news, but at the same time it was shock because that meant she was farther than he was thinking she was. "I just need a little more time for this thing to pick up the exact address." That meant more waiting.

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Overseas Sam was awake, the sun rising. It had been hours since the trip had started and Sam was becoming restless. She was not a big people person and she didn't like long rides so this was torture for her.

"So, you are our little stowaway," came an elderly voice beside her. The Goth turned to the older woman next to her, her face kind and her eye alert and knowing. Nodding she gave her the affirmative. "You don't know how you got over here?"

"No, I remember parts of my life, but the man that had me captive was someone I had never seen before so I figured I was kidnapped or something and yet I am confused as to why I was brought here and not closer to my home."

"Well, there are people who kidnap young girls to sell as sex slaves and as France is so big it would be easier to lose anyone looking for you. Where are you from?" Sam shrugged.

"The man in the church seemed to recognize me or thought I was the young girl that was in Amity, but I am not sure that I did such things though for some reason my body does weird things." At her confused look Sam clarified herself. "Well, in the church my hand went through the door."

"Really? Wow!" She ushered another female over, this one younger. "This is the ghost child," she stated pointing to Sam. The Goth blanched at the name that the priest had even used.

"Her?" The other female leaned close, her brown eyes studying Sam before leaning away with a nod. "She does look like her save for the fact that her eyes and hair are different." The other woman smacked her while at the same time making a comment about the fact that she was also wearing the wrong clothing so she probably had yet to change. While they conversed about her alter ego, or whatever you called it, Sam found herself looking back out the window. Her reflection looked back at her, her amethyst eyes wide with fear and with confusion.

"Who am I?" she whispered the reflection with hopes that it might tell her. Suddenly the image looking back at her flickered, her hair changing to white, her eyes green like limes. Blinking she opened her eyes again to see her looking back with her original colors. That couldn't have happened. Turning away from the window she was drawn back into the conversation.

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Present...

"We came to the Bay of Biscay a day later, the trip only one third through and yet I felt that I had been travelling for years. I was put on a boat and went across the bay and out onto the ocean. We passed some islands and within the next day we were docking at Staten Island. All the while I was wondering how I was supposed to find my home if I couldn't even remember my family. I kept seeing a teen male with blue eyes and raven hair, but for some reason saw him not as a sister should but as a female looking at a male." Sighing she looked out, her gaze scanning the crowd, but she never saw the one person in the crowd that knew most of the story.

"It was hard only knowing bits and pieces and although I was glad to have even part of my life, I was just as frustrated. It was like looking through a book and seeing part of the story but not familiar enough with the characters that you couldn't give them a title. I had a feeling I knew my parents, but the people in my mind were not my birth parents and the boy that I saw as my brother wasn't."

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Past...

"Okay, so now that we know he was in Paris what can we do with that information?" Tucker looked lost as Danny tried to piece together what was going on. "She left his house, but did she have money to leave? Did she leave without anything on her back? What?" The halfa was frustrated, but it was about to get better when the phone downstairs rang. Danny and Tucker paid it no heed until they heard Maddie scream, her cries reaching the teen males. Rushing to her aid they found her crying as she held the phone, her eyes wide with happiness as Jack joined them. His father opened his mouth the ask the question that was on everyone's mind until his wife began to talk again.

"She's okay?" Silence. "Oh, my god. Oh." More silence. "Yes, we can meet her down there just give us a day to catch a flight." More silence. "Yes... Yes... Okay. Thanks." She turned to them, her eyes still watering, the tears falling down her joyful face. "She's okay." She looked to her husband. "We need to head out if we want to get there before tomorrow."

"How? What happened?" Danny questioned.

"She showed up on a dock with a group of nuns. She had a paper with a picture of Danny Phantom and nothing else. She was told to come here, to Amity." As she explained all that she knew Jack called and set up two tickets at the Amity Airport. "We will be home soon okay?" Following her husband out to the RV Maddie handed the teen males some money and instructions on making sure they were safe before leaving them.

"She's okay," Tucker said as he looked at his still rather shocked friend who should have been smiling. When he still failed to quirk an inch the dark skinned male became curious. "What's wrong?" The halfa shook his head, his mind working over all that had happened in the last year and a half. She had been missing, never made a move to leave or contact anyone, but now she suddenly goes missing and shows up with a paper of him... Something was off.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day when the pair of teens came home from school they were surprised to find the Fenton RV in front of the house because Maddie had thought it would take until late that evening to get Sam back. Running the pair burst into the house to find quiet. Before they could take a step his mother appeared from the lab, her clothing dirty from work, her goggles pulled down over her violet eyes.

"Hey, boys," she said, her voice calm and yet Danny knew off the bat that they were about to have a talk. "We need to talk about Sam." Jack appeared behind his wife, but he didn't say a word as the foursome walked to the living room and sat down.

"So," Tucker hinted moments later when the adults across from them failed to start talking. "How is she? What happened?" The red headed mother looked to her dark haired husband before looking at her son and his friend.

"Sam has a bit of a memory issue." It was there, this vague bit of information.

"What kind of issue?" Danny questioned as he leaned forward, that nagging in the back of his mind becoming stronger.

"Well, she thinks that we are her parents and that you are her brother." The teens' mouths fell open. "She seems to have taken a hit in the back of her head, not sure from where, but from the papers that were with her she came from Paris. The officials at Staten Island were told that she was brought over after claiming safety in a church. The priest there found her hiding in the confession booth with blood running down the back of her head and with some minor scratches on her hands."

"Shit," Tucker said as Danny leaned back, the same word echoing in his mind. Sam was back, but her idea of their relationships were all screwed up.

"Now, understand that she still remembers everyone, just not the right way and we can't force her to remember, she has to do it on her own, okay?" The teen males nodded just as the sound of door opening up the stairs echoed down to them. They all looked toward the entranceway as Sam, her outfit from earlier still on, came down. She looked to them with her big amethyst eyes and before any of them could react she was down the stairs and in Danny's arms.

"Hi," Danny managed to say as he pulled her back from him. She looked to him and smiling soft said hello back. She looked to Tucker, her eyes taking him in before hugging him. Pulling back she looked to them all, her gaze knowledgeable and yet they could tell she was still trying to figure stuff out. Maddie stood up, her purple eyes sad as she looked at the girl she had known since she had been a babe. Reaching out she pulled the Goth close and Sam let her as she sighed. Tucker looked to Danny, the males knowing that this was indeed Sam, but she was so different. Her attitude was more mellow and her demeanor was shy.

"She's so polite," the geek whispered. The halfa nodded in response. As soon as Maddie released Sam, Danny reached out to grasp her hand and Sam grasped his tightly, but when you looked in her eyes at that moment she looked so confused and lost.

"You want to play a game?" She nodded slowly and without hesitation. "Come on." Tugging her toward the entranceway the trio headed up the stairs while the parents watched with hope. They knew how close the duo had been before she had been taken away and how the trio had bonded. Their hope lay with Danny and the budding affection between the two.

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"What game are we going to play?" Sam inquired as the trio entered her room. Sitting her on the bed they watched as she looked around again, her eyes seeming to take in all the details.

"Twenty questions," Tucker muttered as he closed the door. The Goth looked to him, her eyes understanding and for some reason it bothered the geek since he was so used to the upfront female. "First one... what is your name?"

"Samantha."

"Age?" Tucker asked as Danny sat at the computer desk.

"Sixteen." Tucker looked thoughtful and Danny found himself thinking of the movie that he and Sam had watched as a child. Anastasia. She held some of her memories, but not enough to give any of them the full picture. "I don't understand what this is about," she stated as she looked to the halfa.

"Sam, do you find that you are different?" the raven haired male inquired to the shock of the two other teens in the room. Nodding she looked down at her hands. "How?" She proceeded to hold up her hands, the fingers so slender and long. Closing her eyes she imagined what she wanted, the thought making her hands go invisible. "Sam," he said as he reached for her invisible appendages. She opened her eyes and in those amethyst orbs he could see fear and yet there was comfort there, like she knew something but couldn't seem to grasp it.

"I am what the priest called me, right?" Danny threw her a quizzical look so she clarified. "Ghost child. That is what I am..." She faded off as her hands became visible. "It feels right, but nothing else does." Tucker and Danny moved close and when she looked at them they could see she was unsure. "I know I am Samantha, Sam by preference, but I feel that everything is in the wrong spot, like a piece is missing in a slot that would make it all," she paused, "not right, but understandable." Again she paused, but this time she sighed. "I feel that you are not my brother, I had enough time on the trip over here looking at your picture that I know that, but I feel like I have no parents... Like I lost them somehow or maybe... maybe they didn't want me."

"I'm not supposed to tell you what you were before whatever happened in Paris, but I can tell you that you are on the right track. I am not your brother and your parents are horrible people." He grasped her hands. "What do you remember, what happened before you went to the church?"

"Well, I remember waking up in a small room with a single window and hearing two guys talking, well, more like one was really angry and the other was rather apologetic." Danny asked her to elaborate and she did. "The first guy, the one that was upset was yelling at the other guy about being stupid. I listened as they talked about hitting someone, possibly killing them." She looked down at her hands. "I think they were talking about me, but I can't be sure because they said something about her being a meal ticket and I don't think that could be me unless they had a ransom out for me, but what could I be worth and why take me out of the states?"

"Well, those are questions that you will just have to figure out because you know I can't help you." Suddenly the Goth began to cry, her big tears so foreign to the halfa who remembered very few times the Goth had actually cried. "Sam, it will be fine. You are already have an idea of what is going on so now you just need your memory just to heal. Give it time."

"I don't have that!" the raven haired girl whispered emotionally. "I need to find out who I am before they find me again!" Danny pulled her close, her shaking form making him angry because his friend had never been like this... girl... That was what she was and now she was acting like one, her former behavior gone, well missing. "I just want it to be like it was before." Just holding her, comforting felt... good...

'Wait! This is Sam! She is my best friend not something...'

'Like a female? But she is. She is a female about to be a woman and being your best friend has nothing to do with that!'

'But it does! I can't put our friendship on the line just because of some rampant hormones.' When his inner voice refused to answer Danny was sure he had made his point. Sam was his friend and just because she was a girl made no difference. Sam pushed away from him, her amethyst eyes landing on Tucker. The geek smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Tucker, I remember us talking about a date or something. Were we dating?"

"Well, we did go on a date, but as for dating... I am not sure if you wanted to or not." She nodded at his honesty. Sam had become more beautiful over the year she had been gone and had filled out in ways that were so obvious. "Would you like to go on a date again?" Danny blinked at what was happening before him as he turned to the other halfa, the female that nodded to the question. "Cool, um, we could go today if you want."

"That sounds like fun. How about the Nasty Burger?" It was happening so fast before the halfa and he found that he didn't like it, but then it came back to him that he was acting jealous and that was not how he wanted to come off to Sam. Taking a deep breath he tried calm himself, but in that same moment the other teens looked to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am fine, just... a little overwhelmed is all," he stated to which Sam still looked like she didn't know whether to believe him or call him on the bull shit that had come out of his mouth. Tucker looked to him with a look that said just those words, bull shit. Still, he said nothing. All that was left was a little awkward moment between the three.

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Present...

"I began to remember little things over the next six or so months and no one ever came to our door looking for me so I figured everything on that front was okay. It was just about Christmas when it all came back to me, and when I think back on that day, I can't believe I didn't put all of it together before that, but then again I was so busy dating Tucker and not wanting to make him upset that I never voiced my suspicions."

"Little did Danny know but I had crushed on him for a long time, my own conflict of our relationship keeping me quiet. If I had even realized that he liked me like that I would have said something, done something, but I didn't... I regret that one moment. The moment it all came back to me."

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Past... (Christmas Eve)

Sam sat snuggled in Tucker's arms, the dark male enjoying Sam's warmth even though he knew by looking at the male halfa just feet from him that it was to be short lived. Tucker had known that Danny had a thing for Sam and even though he had protested that first time he had wanted to date the Goth. Danny had given him the go ahead so the geek had done that. He and Sam hadn't really done anything, sure there had been kisses and hugs, little things, but they had never moved toward the real part of the relationship and both knew it was time to kill what really had never been.

"Hey, um, Tuck," Sam whispered as she looked to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I know. It was fun while it lasted." She smiled at him and leaning to lay a kiss on his cheek she grabbed her present, the one they were given on the eve of Christmas, and headed upstairs. Danny watched her go, his cerulean orbs following her progress up the stairs and when she was gone he looked to Tucker.

"Why didn't you go up there with her?" the halfa questioned. Tucker smiled.

"Because we are done," he stated nonchalantly. "We never really were to begin with." Danny's brow raised and as much as he wanted to cheer that the pair was broken up, he still was unsure as to what had happened. The couple had been close, always talking and cuddling. They had kept the PDA to a min, in fact he had never seen much of that from the start. "Don't go analyzing it, dude."

"I d-"

"I know that you like her and you want to be with her. Hell, I have seen it there for longer than the pair of you have, and yet neither of you make a move, not that right now she doesn't have a legit reason, but you... You just refuse to step up." Before Danny could make a move to dispute that a knock sounded on the door. The sound harsh and loud against the music from the radio. When no one moved the knocking came again, this time more forceful and then a voice that none of them had heard from in a while came through the door.

"Open the fucking door, Fenton!"


	15. Chapter 15

"What the fuck?!" came Maddie, her steps loud as she and Jack rushed up to join the two teens standing now. Sam was at the foot of the steps in moments, but Danny rushed to her side, his hands on her shoulders to guide her back into her old room as Tucker moved to join them. The redheaded ghost fighter moved toward the door, her violet eyes narrowed as the person on the other end cursed some more.

"We need to call the cops," Jack stated as he moved toward the door as more banging rattled the wooden structure. She nodded before taking out her cell phone and walking further from the door. While she communicated with the operator on the other end Jack stood by the door.

"Fucking hell!" the male on the other side yelled. "I know you have her in there! Fucking send her out." Maddie appeared a few moments later as sirens screamed on the other side of the door. "Good! I see you called the police." The banging stopped as the person on the other end disappeared. Another knock came on the door, the dark haired ghost fighter opening in while at the same time making sure he kept the chain hooked.

"Hello, Mr. Fenton," said a younger male, his badge flashing in the light from the house. It was late evening and even with all the Christmas lights hanging and blinking outside, Jack couldn't make out the other male's features. "Can I please come in?" As Jack moved to unlock the chain his wife's hand stopped him, her eyes falling on the officer.

"No, I don't think so. I know my rights and in this case I think we will keep you on the other side." At first it appeared like he was going to say something about that, but stopping he nodded as he pulled out his notepad with a question of what was happening. Maddie proceeded to give him the rundown from the last several months as well as pulling out a sheet of paper that had legal details concerning the situation.

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Sam sat cross legged on her bed, the comforter pulled around her slender form as she watched the door where Tucker stood watching and Danny stood before her. She knew what was going on, though she wasn't entirely sure what relation the man at the door had to her.

"Is he going to take me away?" the Goth questioned out of nowhere. The halfa looked to her, his now green eyes flashing in anger. She could tell he was mad, but she also could tell that he was just as afraid as her. Even now her hands flicked invisible and then visible again. She had yet to get her powers back on track no matter how long the pair of male teens worked with her.

It seemed that her powers were more closely connected to her emotions at this time. As she looked to both males something about the situation triggered an old memory, one of her sitting in this room while a blond male screamed downstairs. She had possibly been ten or so at the time, but she could see it. There was a redhead, her outfit so prim and proper that it made Sam cringe even now. The blond man at her side looked rather ticked off, his blue eyes flashing dangerously... and then it was gone, but not before another memory similar to it surfaced.

"He's my dad," she stated suddenly. "My blood relation." She looked down at her hands as more memories surfaced, her hands going to her upper arms as the black shirt she wore rode up. Her eyes fell on the marks that marred both of her upper arms, the marks that looked like little moons on her pale skin. "The one that doesn't want me for anything more than a money ticket." She looked up at Danny, her eyes shimmering with tears. "And you are my friend, not my brother, not my relation."

Tucker looked down, his own teal eyes shimmering with Danny's own green gaze. The pair of males didn't even have to nod or respond as all her memories came flooding in.

"You can't protect me." It was simple and yet it held so much... fact and fiction because there was no way that the halfa was going to let Thurston have her. He had been away when she had been taken from him before and now that he was here there was no way he was going to let her go again.

"Yes, I can and I will because there is-" A knock sounded at the door, cutting him off. Looking toward they waited knowing there was only one person, well, two people that could be there now.

"Danny," his mother called, her voice soft and yet it wasn't sad. "It's okay." Opening the door they found both of the halfa's parents standing there. They looked happy, but somehow Danny knew there was a but in that. "The police will not let him take her as the legal paperwork gives her safety with us." Danny nodded. His parents, upon hearing that Sam was safe, had called an attorney to have legal paperwork brought up against her going back to her father. The plus had been that she remembered little in the way of her parental units and that the person she had described chasing her had been her own father and fiancé.

He was still in shock over that. Sam had been engaged, well, she still was he was sure, but she wasn't going to marry that guy so it shouldn't matter to him... Shouldn't being the key word, but for some reason that information bothered him. Was there a legal contract binding her to that and if so, was she aware of that? He shook his head as he came back to reality. That was for another time because here was the good news that the Goth had needed to hear. Looking to the girl in question he found her smiling and yet he could see in her amethyst eyes that she was still bothered by something. After a few more moments of talking the adults left the trio of teens to themselves.

"I need to get home before my parents begin to worry," the geek said as he said his goodbyes before heading out. Now it was just Sam and Danny. Danny turned to the other halfa, his eyes questioning as he gazed into her amethyst orbs. She knew that he was worried and she knew that no matter how much she tried to keep it hidden that he could see it. He always would be able to see it and that would never change.

"Yeah, I am still worried," she stated with a sigh. Sitting back down she looked to him. "You know me better than anyone else, Danny, and yet I wish you didn't know me that well because I don't you worrying because I am." Danny sat down next to her, his arm falling around her. They sat there as they had forever, the comfortable feeling falling around them because even though there was some tension with both of them holding their secret feelings, they knew that the other would stick by and do whatever they could to make them happy and keep them safe.

"Sam, there is no way you will go back to him, not if any of us have anything to say." Sam nodded as she leaned onto Danny and the pair sat there in silence letting the other comfort the other. It was so ironic because both of them were scared and both of them were strong. Their feelings were secret and yet in moments like this they both felt like they were more than just friends...

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Present...

"He was right," Sam said with a soft smile. "I didn't have to go back to him, but when my grandmother, the one who had set up the whole thing, died later that next year, I left to go to her funeral and I went alone." Silence. "I know I could have taken him with me, but for me this was something I needed to do in private because even though I never got to know her, she was the one that had tried to do right by me, even when the other relatives just accepted me."

"It was strange, but when I had met her that first Christmas I knew she was like me. Trapped in a family she wanted nothing to do with. I headed out right after my birthday since she had passed a day before I was to turn seventeen. I went down there on an airplane with a few changes of clothes and my cell phone. I could have flown down there because as soon as I had my memories back I had relearned my powers and had helped Danny on several occasions in taking a ghost down." So heading down to her funeral I didn't think I would have many issues with my father since he was not allowed to return me back to his house."

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Past...

Walking away from the airport Sam looked around, her eyes taking in all that was around her. She had been told to wait by the front of the building because someone would be there to pick her up. Sitting down, she watched as several people were waiting to pull up, each with a sign. On each sign was a name, Sam wasn't one of the names so she figured she may have come in earlier than the ride had been scheduled so she leaned back to wait. Moments later a dark limo pulled up, a tall male stepped out of the passenger side, a sign in his hand with the name Samantha Manson on it. Standing up she approached it with the intent to let them know who she was, when the man nodded. It was as if someone had lit a switch in her body because suddenly the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, her eyes flickering around her to ensure that she was safe.

When no one popped out at her, she tried to blow it off as just a rich thing. He probably had an earpiece in and was probably giving someone an approval or something. Moving forward she stated who she was and the guy before her opened the door to allow her in. Sitting in the back seat, she set her bag down before her, her feet on either side of it. As she leaned to buckle up the sound of the door locking drew her attention, but before she could check on it the limo lurched back before surging forward.

"What the fuck?" she muttered as she looked to find that she was alone in the back, the dark divider up. As she reached forward to knock on it she pulled back as it opened. To her surprise she found herself looking into her father's face. "You," she hissed as she reached for the door.

"I wouldn't do that Sam-" Before he could finish he watched in shock as she grasped her backpack and went invisible.


	16. Chapter 16

Sam floated over the limo with a smirk on her face, quite sure that he wouldn't be bothering her again, before heading toward where she was sure a hotel was that she could stay. Dropping down a few moments later on a road that was just feet from a large hotel she walked the rest of the way.

'I can't believe him. I guess I should let Danny know.' Pulling out her cell phone as she walked up the stairs to the large white building she was quite surprised when she got his answering machine. Great. "Hey, so I ran into my father, well, more like a kidnapping attempt gone wrong." Letting out a chuckle she let him know that she was at a hotel and that she was fine before closing the flip phone.

"Welcome, young lady, what can I assist you with?" Sam pulled out her gold card, the one that held most of her inheritance, some of it was issued every month, but she hadn't spend very much of of it. She hadn't wanted it, but upon realizing she could just hold onto it until she needed it for something special. This was one of those times.

"I need a room for a couple of nights." He took the card and smiling at the color of it nodded. "Just a one bedroom, please." After typing a few things into his computer he handed her a key and her card back. Taking her bags she headed up to her room with the knowledge that she only had to stay here for one night and then after the funeral tomorrow she could head out. That was the plan.

And God laughed at those plans too...

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Sam groaned as she sat down in a chair toward the back, her amethyst orbs taking in all the family members that filled the rather small room. The room itself was nice, one of her grandmother's favorite places with the bay windows that overlooked a rather large garden while a lake rested in the background. It had rained today, Sam's favorite kind of precipitation and appropriate weather for what had happened outside.

'Grandmother deserves more respect than they give her.' Sam had been pissed at her relatives lack of tack, not surprised though that while her grandmother's ashes had been scattered to the winds that the people around her had nothing nice to say. Most of them had remarked on her cremation, saying that she had spit on their traditions since all Mansons were buried in the family lot.

The Goth had chuckled at that because she was planning on being cremated too. More talk was going now, and most of it was about the older woman's will. She had quite a bit of property and items to give away. This was going to be horrible! The door next to her opened an elderly male walked in, his grey hair slicked back and Sam knew instantly that this man was a lawyer. As the door closed her attention was drawn toward the other corner, her eyes growing wide when she found herself looking into her father's blue gaze. He smirked at her as he turned away leaving Sam with a sick feeling in her stomach because that look in his eyes told her that he had the upper hand.

Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to reveal her identity to her crazy parent. He has no way to harm me though. That was true. As a halfa she was immune to most human perils when in her intangible form, unlike her human form which had substance.

"Welcome to the reading of the will. Mrs. Alexandra Manson has only one wish to her relatives, well, all save for one. She has nothing to give you greedy, malicious hateful people, if you can be called that." There was a loud collective gasp as everyone began to murmur in shock at what the older woman had left in her will. "That is not all. I wish all of you nothing but the best in the future."

"So, who get's her properties?"

"And her money?"

"Or her belongings?" The man, the lawyer, smirked as he held up the picture of a baby, her amethyst orbs looking intelligently out to the world.

"Samantha Manson (Fenton)." All eyes turned to her, all the hate that glittered in those orbs made her a tad bit scared. This definitely wasn't a good thing. Turning she found her father's eyes on her, but for some reason he didn't have such emotion in his eyes, no, he still looked cocky, like there was something he knew that she didn't. "All her possessions, properties, and monies are all going to Samantha Manson. She will receive these items at the age of eighteen and no sooner. As for a trustee, there is none in this case as her father, Thurston Manson has put her in harm's way and her mother, Pamela Manson, is deceased."

A hush fell over the room as they all waited, because everyone in the room could feel there was a but in this statement. "Should Samantha Manson be proven insane or otherwise incapable of retaining her items left to her by her deceased Grandmother, than all items shall fall unto her next of kin, Thurston Manson." Oh, now Sam could see what was going on. Her father, knowing her secret, was going to prove her unfit to have her grandmother's possessions since she had been the one to screw him over by putting the Goth as a provision of his money.

Having had enough of the glares Sam got up and proceeded to the lawyer who stood still waiting now that his job was done.

"Did you really have to read that with all of them here?" she hissed in frustration as most of them got up to head out, their mutterings loud and annoyed. He nodded with a smirk.

"That was one thing I loved about your grandmother," he said. "She was good in bed and just down right straight forward with people even if it meant offending them." The Goth before him turned green, her mind going to that direct image of her older grandmother having sex.

"That's just nasty," Sam stated with a grimace. "Um, is there anything else I need to do before I can leave?" He pulled out a paper with a whole lot of writing and with it an envelope as well as a set of keys. "What's this stuff?" He held out the paper and sat back on the comfy chair that rested by the window as more rain thundered down, lightning now joining the show. Sitting back on another chair the Goth began to read. It didn't take her long to finish it as she was a quick reader, but still she did re-read it because it just seemed surreal.

"You just need to sign the bottom in understanding." Sam nodded as she did just that, her mind reeling over the contents of that paper. "Thank you." He handed her the keys and the envelope with one last order of business. "Read the letter first before deciding what to do with what goes with those keys." With that he was off leaving Sam in what was to become one of the many properties she would be owning in less than a year. The Goth opened the letter...

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Danny entered his room where he proceeded to the bathroom, most of his body aching from a really intense battle with Skulker, the hunting ghost. It seemed that the mechanical ghost had seemed strangely riled up this time, something about his girlfriend insulting his hunting skills.

"I would really hate to be her, but then again she must be really strong if he doesn't want to fight her..." Did that mean that she was stronger than he was or did that mean that Skulker was a wuss when it came to his girlfriend. "He's whipped." Closing the door he failed to notice the fact that he had left his cell phone on his nightstand and the light on it was blinking with a message. A few moments later the halfa left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his slender waist as he headed for his drawer to pull on some underwear. After clothing himself he headed back downstairs, his stomach rumbling for nourishment after his stressful battle.

It had been harder to beat the hunter than normal, but what had thrown him off his game was the conversation. Strange thing that had been in itself since the hunter only taunted, never conversed with him.

What had even meant by those words? Danny was a little confused by the fact that the ghost had assumed he and Sam were together... In fact it had almost been the same words that Tucker had said almost a year ago. Shaking it off he made himself a sandwich before heading back to his room for games. As he sat back on his bed, the t.v. static making the curtained room dance with black and white, he pushed the XBOX 360 button making the screen flash as he grabbed his remote. As he started to play his game he still failed to notice the blinking and now beeping phone.

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As Sam sat in her room that night she looked out the window, a mixture of feelings running through her mind at that moment. What her father had looked like as he sat across from her, what she had just inherited, and what her grandmother had said in the letter and the paper that she had signed. It was a big decision. She had been given a humungous issue, a horrible decision to make against... her father. She had been given the keys to his home. The one that she had spent too much time in, the one that was still in Amity bare of all of it's furniture. The place that had been her parents home since their marriage.

'What do I do with it?' Her grandmother had told her a lot in that letter, so many things that the Goth hadn't known about and now that she did it made her even more sick with the decision that she had to make. They had done her wrong all her life, but could she be like them? They hadn't even just put her under the gun... No, they had done it to her family, because even if they had done one thing right by giving her life they were not her family. Hell, if they had not been forced to let her live then she wouldn't be here so they hadn't even given her life. Her grandmother had. Their parents had had to forced them to let her live.

And now she had been given the key to their life.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Sam had made her decision about her parents home. Walking down to the lawyer's offices she entered the large space, people walking in the large lobby slowly, most of the business people with fancy attire on while others were obviously clients with jewels on their person. The Goth looked around her in awe. It was a nice building, made to look fancy and yet she didn't feel suffocated like she had in other homes of elegance. Her grandmother's house was another exception to the rule with the relaxed atmosphere it held. Walking up the desk that two women manned, one on a phone call while the other was conversing with someone who looked rather frazzled.

"What do you mean I can't see him?" the woman inquired, her hair fritzing, her eyes wide in disbelief. Around her were three kids, all very young while the woman held an infant in her arms. Her clothing stood out like Sam's with the worn look that most of the other people walking in the lobby didn't have. The woman behind the counter whispered something as she glanced around. "No! I will not be quiet! I demand to see the bastard right now!"

"Hello, what can I do for you?" the other woman inquired as she hung up the phone. Sam blinked as she turned her attention to the blond female smiling at her.

"Um, I'm here to see Mr. Greenwoods," she stated. "I have an appointment with him for nine." The woman smiled broader as she skimmed through her computer screen before finding the information she needed. Asking for the raven haired teen's name she nodded.

"Okay, right now he is with another client, but it's still a few minutes before your appointment so if you head up that elevator and go to the fifth floor..." Giving Sam lengthy instructions took a few minutes and in that time the lady to her left was still arguing with the other receptionist.

"Thanks... Um, what's going on with her?" the Goth inquired. The blond, her nametag covered by her long golden locks, glanced over at the other women that were fussing as the other receptionist got ready to call security.

"Oh, that's Miss Agnew. This happens every few months or so when her babies' daddy fails to take his kids for the weekend."

"Oh. Why not just hire a babysitter or someone to watch the kids?" The blond's smile fell.

"Not enough money and he's in a meeting right now that he can't leave." Sam thanked her for the advice and walking over to the other woman placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," she whispered. Miss Agnew looked over at Sam and the Goth could see that she needed a real break. Sam hardly ever talked to others, hell, she avoided human contact from just about everyone. "May I help you?" When the woman looked confused and the receptionist that had been helping the frustrated mother watched, her finger poised over the button for security. "I can see that you need a break and your children's father seems to be occupied."

"Yes, not that it's anyone's business."

"There's an ATM over there, would you mind coming with me?" The lady nodded and with a slight hesitation she followed Sam, the children in tow. Pulling out her card, she withdrew some cash as the mother consoled the child in her arms that had now begun to awaken, his beautiful blue eyes opening slowly. Turning to the woman she hands her a stack of cash, Miss Agnew's eyes opening wide as she looked to Sam in question. "My grandmother left me an inheritance and told me to spend it as I wish. I want you to take this money and spoil yourself as well as your children."

Handing it off, and having to assure the woman that it was fine, Sam walked toward the elevator. As soon as she was on it she heard a slight squeak. The woman had counted it and realizing that it was at least a grand or more had let out a sound of shock. Smiling she pushed the button to take her closer to the lawyer's office.

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Danny yawned as he woke up the next morning, the sun shining in his face since he had forgotten to close his blinds the night before. Turning over his eyes fell on his phone and the blinking light on it.

"What the hell?" he muttered as he grasped the phone, his blue eyes taking in the fact that he had missed on call from Sam as well as a voice mail. Flipping it open he listened to the message, his eyes widening slightly as she told him about her encounter. "Well, at least she got away." Though he wondered what had actually gone down with that attempt and as he hadn't heard back from her he decided to call her back.

"Hello, Sam." Groaning he listened to her short voicemail message instructing him to leave his name and number as well as a short message. "Hey, I got your message. Call me and let me know what's up." Snapping it closed he lay back on his bed. 'I wonder if I should go and find her?' He shook his head. He didn't even know where she was. Closing his eyes he found himself falling back to sleep.

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Sam exited the lawyer's office an hour later, a frown on her face as she had really hated sitting in that room talking about the very people who had abandoned her. Sure, she had been given something huge to deal with and after a night of contemplating it she had made a decision, but still it had taken an hour to convince the lawyer that was what she wanted to do before given papers to sign and other things that were to be issued to her after her big decision. Now she could go home and as she headed toward the elevator that would take her back to the lobby. Pushing the button she felt her heart begin to race, a feeling of unease falling over her.

Looking around, her eyes taking in every inch of the hall that she stood waiting in, she found that she was indeed alone. Touching a hand to her chest she tried to calm down. 'There's no one but me in this damn hall.' Even thinking it didn't help her poor heart which was still racing a mile a minute.

Ding.

Sam looked toward the elevator as the doors slid open to reveal a man that the Goth had never seen before, but for some reason raised the hairs on her neck in alarm. He looked normal enough, his white hair pulled back in a small ponytail. He wore a dark suit, the attire fitted to his lean and yet muscular form. His blue eyes were cold, so much so that Sam felt a shiver up her spine. Even though her mind was telling her not to go into that elevator, the Goth refused to be cowed and entered the small space, her finger pushing the lobby button. Staying close to the door and as far from the man next to her she waited as the doors closed. She noticed that there was no other button pushed except for hers.

'Strange, but maybe he forgot to push a button.' It was a lame idea and she knew it, but once again she paid it no heed since she knew as a halfa she could escape.

The shifting of the elevator made her stomach drop, but what happened next really threw her off as the man reached out, his hands grasping her shoulders. Sam attempted to go intangible but found she could not as a glow covered her. Looking down she found that it started from where his hands were still on her shoulders. Looking up she found herself looking into a pair of blood red eyes.

"What are you?" she queried, her eyes narrowing as she tried to pull away from him. He didn't even have to tighten his grip because she couldn't even move, her limbs like stone as she stood there looking up at this stranger with even stranger powers. "Who are you?" He smirked, his fangs showing in the dim light of the elevator.

"I am like you, girl. I am a halfa, but unlike you I have had at least a decade to hone my powers to perfection." As the bell dinged one of his hands flew out to stop the door, the whole room growing heavy all of a sudden. "And you will be leaving with little interference or struggle." Before she could ask why the elevator door burst open and before the pair stood Danny, his green eyes flashing.

"Let her go." The Goth was surprised. She hadn't even told him where she was, much less given him any clue- I called him and told him the hotel. The man next to her frowned as people in the lobby stopped to watch a human male with glowing hands hold Sam in place.

"I don't think so, Danny Phantom." That shocked both halfas, her eyes flying to the white haired male. Both were wondering how he knew about Phantom.

"Danny, he knows!" she cried out before the male thrust her back into the elevator, both of them going intangible before slipping through the walls. Danny followed without hesitation. As they passed through wall after wall, the male holding her chuckled, like he knew an inside joke.

"Funny thing," the male said as they passed out onto the street, cars stopping around them in a squeal of tires. "I never even knew that there were more poisoned by the Ghost Zone and Fenton's lack safety!" Danny's eyes narrowed again as he stopped on the edge of the street, his heels just inches from the curb. Sam was free from the other man's grasp, but she still couldn't move, her legs locked in place as she watched the pair of halfas.

"What are you talking about?" Danny inquired and the other male's response was to change before them, a pair of black rings like their white ones moving over him, changing him. When it was done before them stood a male that resembled Count Dracula, his hair black now and fashioned like horns over his head. His once dark suit was now white, like a clean sheet of printer paper while his boots were dark like the night.

Behind him his cape blew back revealing the inside that was as red as freshly spilled blood.

"I am the result of Jack Fenton's bumbling. I am a halfa."


	18. Chapter 18

The pair of teens both let out a gasp, but Sam was the first one to talk.

"Jack Fenton didn't intentionally do that to you and he didn't do it to us!" she cried out as she tried to force her transformation in hopes that she could break out from her imprisonment. The male turned on her, his red eyes glittering with anger.

"He did do this to me! If he hadn't made that infernal device then it would have all been fine, but because he was the one that made it I am stuck as a fucking halfa!" Danny was in shock. This man was accusing his father of intentionally making him into something he regretted, but his father had had never hurt someone for the hell of it. "Your mother is a genius, her intelligence far greater than that man she chose to marry. He holds her back with his insolence while he continued to bumble and fumble his way in life!"

Sam's eyes narrowed as she realized something about this man that was holding her captive.

"You're in love with Mrs. Fenton." It was clearly a statement and the guy knew it, but he refused to acknowledge her statement and continued his talking.

"I am not here for revenge on you though or your stupid father." He looked to Sam. "I am here to dispose of Samantha Manson, child of Pamela and Thurston Manson." He smirked then, his fangs showing yet again. "I am allowed to do with you as I want as long as you disappear for a while."

"NO!" Danny cried as he charged at the other male taking said male by surprise. "Stay the fuck away from her!" Knocking him away from Sam the halfa powered up, his fists glowing with white light as he pummeled the older male. "You won't fucking do shit to her!" It was like a dam had burst, Danny was glowing with power as his anger took over. It was also fear for his friend's safety that pushed him. As he was taking the older halfa down Sam was set free, the glow on her body fading and allowing her to transform so she could assist her close friend.

She was in no way as strong as the male halfa, but she was smart so while Danny fought the new halfa she powered up, her energy coursing through her and to her hand where a small ball was forming. She knew that if she could get an ecto ball powerful enough she could take the other halfa out. A yell was heard as Danny was thrown back.

"You think you can take me down that easily? Vlad Plasmius doesn't fall that easily!" Vlad threw a blast at Danny who dodged it with ease, his green eyes flashing blue as he blasted ice at the older halfa. He managed to hit him in the foot, his black boot growing a thick layer of ice fusing Vlad to the ground. Danny could see Sam behind the other halfa and knew he needed to hold Vlad off for a bit longer so Sam could use her move to disable the other halfa. They had perfected a move that they had yet to use in cases like this because the other ghosts were nothing in comparison to this halfa that stood before them.

As Vlad tried to free himself from the ice he found that the ice was now moving up his calf and toward his thigh. It seemed to scare him as he struggled more urgently to free himself. Powering up a small blast he attempted to blast the ice off of his leg as the cold element moved further up his leg. When he blasted the ice, it cracked, because the part that covered his foot had gotten thicker in the moments the element had travelled up his leg.

Danny shot more ice at him to replace the cracked ice. Stepping back he watched as their opponent struggled to free himself. This was one power he had perfected because being able to immobilize his opponent gave him more time to take them down.

"Sam, are you ready?" Danny called out as he watched the other male struggle, but upon saying that he tried to crane his head around to see the female halfa. She nodded to him, the ecto ball in her hand glowing white with green static that flickered and sparked around the orb. Putting her hands together, she allowed the orb to shrink in size, as a drop of sweat trickled down her neck and into her cleavage.

Walking toward the older halfa she forced the orb onto his back, her hand held in place as the ice that was now covering the other halfa to his waist. As she held the orb in place a shock went through the older halfa, Vlad twisting a little at the pain he was experiencing. Danny began blast Vlad with more ice to speed up the process, the element moving over the spot that held the orb, some of the ice touching Sam's fingers, but failed to go further on her.

Vlad struggled more and more, but now that his extremities were covered there wasn't much for him to do. Just before the ice hit his face it stopped as did Danny. Sam pulled back, some of the ice cracking with her movements before she stood back. The orb was now held in place, but it had yet to explode.

"Let me go!" the older halfa growled. "How are you that powerful?!" They smirked. Both knew there was no way they were more powerful than this male before them, but because they had managed to catch him off guard, and because Danny had honed on a particularly useful skill, they had managed to overwhelm Vlad.

"I don't think we need someone like you to worry about, so for right now, no." Vlad became quiet, his eyes closing as he waited. "Call him." Danny nodded as he stepped away for a moment, his voice low as he talked to the person on the other end. "So my idiot father sent you?" When she received no answer she continued, "If he thinks that he could take me down knowing who I was, then he is sadly mistaken because I am not alone, not ever." She stepped away from the older halfa as Danny came back to inform her that whoever he had called was on his way there.

Around them people were watching from a distance, eyes wide as they looked at the pair of white haired halfas. Sam looked around, her green eyes flashing as she realized they had had an audience the whole time. Danny had already been in his Phantom form while she had transformed before this group. Maybe it had been when no one had looked, because for a moment there had been screams of terror as most of the humans had run. It would take a while for the person they had called to get there so until then they had to ensure their captive stayed their captive.

"So your father hired this guy?" the male halfa inquired as he came to stand next to Sam. She nodded. "So, I assume he figured out you're a half ghost?" Again she nodded. "I would ask why, but judging by what you implied in your message I guess you had to use your powers to escape."

"Yeah." It didn't seem like she really wanted to talk, but then again who would when it seemed your parent would go to any means to keep his money. "This time it wasn't just about the money from being at his house, no, that one is lost since he lost guardianship over me." He looked to her in confusion. He hadn't known that part. "This time it's because I was give all of my grandmother's assets and the rest of my relatives were given nothing." She let out a chuckle. "Funny since she knows I don't want any of it, but it was a blow to the rest of them until the rest of it was read. She is giving my father until my birthday to prove that I should not be allowed to have any of it and then it reverts back to him."

She didn't know if she could tell him about the other part of it, the letter that had been given to her after the reading and the instructions and decisions she was forced to make. She still felt that she had made the right choice on that one, but now she was beginning to wonder if he would know. Her grandmother hadn't specified if her father would be informed about any of it.

"So, this happened after you revealed your power?" She nodded as the pair de-transformed. "Now he thinks if he can do something to you then he will get what was left to you. Wow, and I thought your family were already greedy enough."

"Yeah. So, how long-" She was cut off as the sound of a jet filled the air, the winds blowing strongly around them as the pair looked up to find a jet hovering above them with the Jack's face on the bottom staring at them. "Never mind." The mouth of Jack opened and out came Maddie, the beautiful redhead landing before them, a rope dangling next to her. "Hi," Sam said as she stepped aside to let the other ghost fighter take a look at their captive.

"Hmm. He's new to me," the redhead stated as she walked over toward the captured halfa. "Good job you two." Grabbing the rope she began to wrap it around the unconscious halfa, his eyes twitching as timed shocks flickered through his body. Sam's energy orb was hidden from view with the ice around him so as Maddie tied him she didn't notice the pulsating orb. What she did notice was the ice and she couldn't figure out what the pair of teens had used to make that ice around him.

She wanted to ask, and the teens were well aware of that, and were just as thankful that she didn't as she instructed them to grab ahold of the rope over him as she spoke into a walkie talkie. As the rope began to grow taunt the trio was pulled up and into the jet. Upon entering it they were joined by the incapacitated male and began assisting Maddie in bringing him up and over. As soon as all was secure the jet turned about and headed home, Sam sitting next to the window as Danny sat next to her. She said nothing to him as she stared out the window, her mind on all that was happening around her.

'I am just bad luck or something. Maybe it's time for me to leave state for a while.'


	19. Chapter 19

As soon as they got home Sam headed back upstairs, her steps quick as she left her family behind her, all of them looking at her back in confusion. The older members looked to Danny and the halfa knew what they were expecting and with a sigh he headed up behind her. He was the only one that could seem to talk to her while the others just seemed to hit a wall. He found her in her room sitting on her bed, a book in hand as she leaned against the wall.

"So, you want to talk?"

"Not really," she stated without looking up at him, her tone neutral. "I just need some time." Now she looked to him, her amethyst gaze shuttered which was a shock to the halfa since they had shared almost everything in the past. He had noticed that in the last several years, long before she had been forced to spend her life with her father, that the Goth had drifted from him. He wasn't sure if it had been him or if it was her. Maybe it was a combination of them both, but whatever it was or what was happening he was sad and frustrated with her lack of trying.

"Sam, I thought we were friends," he said as he sat down next to her, her eyes following him and he could see that she was trying to keep her face unemotional, but it also looked like she wasn't having that hard of a time at doing it either.

"We are," she stated as she set the book down, a sign that she was either going to talk or she was making sure he understood how important the conversation was. "Just because we are friends doesn't mean you need to be in my business, Danny. I am a separate person and if I don't want to talk about it that doesn't mean I value you as a friend any less."

"You sound like Jazz," the halfa muttered in disgust. "All detached as she lays it on the line for you. Sam, you're not her and you don't do shit like this." The Goth's eyes narrowed at him, a sign that whatever he had said had pissed her off because she was hardly ever mad at him.

"You didn't just compare me to physiatrist Jasmine, did you?" she growled.

"If the shoe fits," he said back before he even realized what he was saying and the look on her face was priceless as her jaw fell open and her eyes grew wide. "Oh, shit." Sam stood up now, her fists clenched at her side as she eyed her friend.

"Really? You must think I am just one cold ass bitch or something?!" Before Danny could say a word the raven haired Goth shoved him toward her door, her amethyst orbs flashing green as she continued to rant, "First you accuse me of unfriendliness just because I don't butt into your life while you seem to think you have to command mine! Then you call me your fucking sister and now I am cold! Fuck off!" Shoving him once more she slammed the door on his face. "I hate you Daniel Fenton! I don't ever want to talk to you!" The halfa stood there in shock as to what had just happened, his own words coming back to his mind. He knew that he had been wrong to say those words, but he had just been worried and she was being like Jazz.

"Did you piss her off?" came his sibling's voice. "You know Sam better than that." He glared at his sister, his own eyes flashing at her. "Whoa. Calm down."

"You just need to butt out, Jazz. I don't need my sister to help me." Walking off he entered his room and with a slam closed the world out. The redhead walked over to Sam's door and knocked softly. She was immediately informed to leave the Goth alone, but upon informing the raven haired teen who she was the door was crackled open.

"What do you want?" the teenager muttered.

"I want to know what I can do to help you because I can tell there is something weighing heavily on your mind right now." Sam looked thoughtful for a moment before opening the door to allow the one person she knew she could trust with her heart right now. Entering the room Jazz headed for the bed where she sat as Sam locked her door back. "So, what's up?" Sam sat down at her computer, turning the chair to face Jazz.

"Well, I didn't want to talk about it, well, not to Danny anyway, but you're different because," she paused, her thought process stopped by the thought that she could hurt the other teen's feelings.

"Because we aren't that close, right?" The Goth nodded. "Sam, you know that I think of you as a sister and maybe we aren't close, but I would keep your secrets if you needed someone to rant to. Someone not so close to the problem." Sam felt like a burden was sliding off her shoulders and she knew that she could trust Jazz.

"Well, I don't think I should stay here, for one." Jazz wasn't shocked by the statement, like she was expecting it. "And I certainly don't want to put your parents through another scare, but with my final birthday before I become an actual heiress to millions approaching in twelve more months I think it would be best if I went into hiding."

"Is that all?" The Goth looked into Jazz's teal eyes and could tell that the genius sitting across from her knew more than she was letting on so with a sigh she spilled the rest of her secret. "I knew about the accident, but I didn't know what had happened exactly."

"How long?"

"For at least a year or so. Danny too, huh?" Sam didn't answer that, her eyes narrowing in a way that Jazz knew the Goth was protecting her best friend. "Okay. I understand that look. So, where do you want to go?"

"I couldn't tell anyone," the Goth replied. "If my father sends someone else to do away with me, then you or anyone else knowing could cause problems." With those words Jazz knew she couldn't do much more, except be the one to tell the family.

"Okay, well, what do you need?" When Sam just looked confused the redhead continued, "A disguise? Money?" Sam nodded, but then reaching into her pocket pulled out her card.

"I need to get money off of this, just enough to last me until I turn eighteen and can use it again with the freedom to know that by that time my father has no claim on it."

"Okay, well, let me get the money for you and a disguise," Jazz stated and to Sam it made sense. If she were to buy them then it would put her plan out for others to see, so handing the resident genius her card she gave her instructions on what she needed. Jazz nodded as she wrote down what she needed before heading out. Sam was left alone, her mind in a whirl as to what else she would need and when she needed to leave. It being the weekend wasn't good because it would be better to leave when everyone was out, but at the same time it could work because she needed to leave at night.

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A few hours later Jazz reappeared. It was going to be another thirty minutes before dinner so the redhead had arrived just in time for Sam to plan her escape, so as soon as the redhead had left the Goth got to work, making sure that her room was secure before heading to the bathroom where she began her long shower. Thirty minutes later found Maddie calling for dinner and when Sam didn't come down she sent Danny to get her. The halfa refused to, but at his mother's insistence that he was the best man for the job Danny headed for her room and after knocking for a few minutes went to turn the knob and enter her room.

"Locked. Just what I would have expected," he muttered as he glanced around before turning intangible. Going into the Goth's room he found no Sam. Hearing the sound of music coming from the bathroom he headed toward it and began to knock, but he was sure with all the music playing and the shower running that Sam couldn't hear him so closing his eyes he phased into the bathroom. "Sam, mom says it's time for dinner." When he received no response he opened his eyes to realize it was too steamy in the room to see the Goth. Reaching over to where the music was coming from he managed to turn off the CD player. "Sam, this is not funny."

Again he received no response so walking toward where the curtain to the shower could be seen, he pulled back the curtain to find himself looking at an empty shower with scalding hot water running. "Fuck!" Rushing back into her room he began to search frantically for the Goth, thinking that she was playing a game on him, but five minutes of searching left her with no other place to hide and that was when he noticed the envelope on the computer desk addressed to his parents. Looking at it he had a sneaky suspicion that the Goth had run.

Sighing he headed downstairs with the letter, his eyes staring at the pearly white envelope. It was a sign of bad news and sadly to say he was disappointed in the Goth. He had never known her to run from her problems and also because it seemed she had little faith that he could protect her when it came down to it. Had they not just defeated a guy together? Had he not shown up when she needed him? Walking into the dining room he found his family talking, their laughter echoing as they stopped to look at him.

"Where's Sam?" his father questioned. Danny shook his head and walked over to his mother to hand her the letter. The redhead opened it and began to read in her mind, her facial expression telling her family what was in the letter. "What's wrong?"

"Sam ran away."


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning Danny woke up, his eyes a little blurry since he hadn't really slept well that night. All he could think of was how much he was pissed off and worried about Sam. His anger had over-ridden his emotions as he thought of the fact that Sam would rather chance her safety alone then allow him to help her. Did she not trust him to protect her? Did she think he was too weak? What was it?!

And then the worry came out. Was she safe? Did she have money with her? Where is she? All those questions and in the night he had dreamed that his Gothic friend was killed, her body laying broken in his arms. He could remember her smiles in that moment and it hit him just before dawn that he didn't just care about Sam. He loved her and in loving her he had allowed his emotions free reign. Sitting there in his bed Danny knew he had to trust her now because if she thought doing it this way was the right one then he had to let her do it.

"Fuck it," the halfa muttered before going into his bathroom. He couldn't do it after thinking of all the times she had been wrong. Hell, this last time if he had been with her then she wouldn't have been nearly killed or worse. "Sam just has bad luck." After a quick shower he sat back down on his bed, his eyes closing as he concentrated. He felt silly doing this, but while Sam had been gone the halfa had found friends in the Ghost Zone. The Far Frozen and Pandora were just two of them, the second person, Pandora having helped him understand his powers a little better. He had yet to get this one to work, but he was willing to try no matter how long it took.

'All I need to do is concentrate on her, on her power which is in essence part of mine.' Pandora had told him that if he could hone is powers he could read his partner's mind and see what they could. It was a locator that they could use since they were from one ghost. That wasn't something that happened very often although the ghost could remember at a time it had happened and what had happened. Concentrating he tried to envision his friend and her essence, something that for him wasn't as easy as it used to be, not with her changing all the time. Pandora told me this would work if I concentrated, but I don't feel even a glimmer of Sam. Thinking back to what she had told him to do when he was trying to locate his other half he remembered several important factors that were off even if he really didn't want to admit it.

One, you must be calm.

Two, you must have no anger or conflict in your soul.

Those two alone were not where they should be at that moment because he wasn't calm and he was seriously pissed off right now. Sam had left them with little notice and the halfa wasn't sure why she thought it would help any of them. If anything they would come to his house first and then destroy the world to find her. What had the she been thinking?

Okay, I need to calm down. Sam is her own person, almost 18 and smart enough to have hopefully thought this through. Concentrating he began what was to be a long time of training and honing this particular skill.

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Present...

"I ran as far from my family as I could, but I made sure that no one would think to look for me there. After broadcasting a message out into the Ghost Zone and to my father that they wouldn't find me and that the Fenton's were in no way covering for me. In fact I gave them all hints to finding me while I moved across the US. I never stayed in one spot, if anything I stayed in one place for no more than a few weeks before leaving. I don't know if they ever bothered my home, but I never went back. I cut my hair and changed my name for a while. I didn't have to work with all the money that had been given to me all those years, but I did take small jobs, you know defeating ghosts around the States. I was known for a while as a Ghostbuster, not original, but I never gave them a name when I helped them."

"There were times I yearned to go back, but as months passed and all the ghosts I had to battle grew I knew that it was better that I stayed away and now here I am, nineteen years old and still so far away from home because I am still hunted even though my father has no claim on my stuff. I drew out a will so that when I pass all my earthly possessions go to one person, the one person that stood by me no matter what happened and continued to look for me even when I told him not to. I ran into him once during my hiding and Danny told me what he thought of my idea."

"Stupid." Sam looked to her left, a man standing just feet from the stage, his blue eyes shimmering with anger. "It was so stupid and you knew that."

"Danny?" the Goth questioned as the man stepped toward the stage. "Is that really you?" He stepped into the light that now fell on him, the spotlight on the pair of them. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I came to find you and it was easy to find you since you are my other half." A sigh fell across the crowd even as the Goth's amethyst gaze narrowed. "You could have come to us and we would have protected you." She shook her head.

"You guys had plenty on your plates and your parents had done plenty for me growing up." She threw out her hand in exasperation. "Hell, if my parents had had it their way they would have left me with your parents and cut all ties, but because they were afraid of losing their millions they were more about having a babysitter that they didn't have to pay! I was never your family, I was someone that they felt bad for and took care of! Don't get me wrong I love your family and would have done anything to take all the pain that came with having me in their house away, but I couldn't and then after that person died, that woman who was supposed to be there for me, I was left to defend myself from my father!"

"You didn't have to do it alone!"

"Yes I did!" She backed up, her eyes never leaving his as she continued, "Danny, they signed a contract to take me in, but they could do nothing against my parents. The only reason they were able to retain me and my father couldn't was because I had been injured and could remember nothing. Don't you see?!" The halfa took a step toward her. "They were pawns that my parents used and when my father was about to lose it all he attacked again. Hell, he was planning on killing your parents." Danny stopped just feet from her, the Goth with her back to the wall of the stage.

"What?"

"Yeah, I remembered it later, much later than I should have, but I remembered it and knew that if that happened I could never forgive myself because your parents were there for me up until they hit the legal wall. You mother was the one that changed my diapers, your father taught me how to walk and Jazz taught me how to talk. Danny, your family was there for me in all the ways that counted and all the ways they could be and I couldn't reward that love with hate. I left because my grandmother made me remember it." Sighing she turned from him. "She wrote me a letter with the right to end my father's existence basically. I could take his possessions, all given to him by my grandmother, or I could let him keep them. Basically stripping him of his life or leaving him alone. It reminded me of the time after your parents tried to step up. My parents thought they were a problem because if it was ever proven that either of us had been harmed in their care that I could be legally adopted by your family."

Danny stood there in shock, but those words brought him back. Proof that either of us had been harmed? Sam had been harmed, while Danny had been threatened. Looking at her he took another step, his shoes echoing around them. Sam looked to him just as he his hands touched her shoulders. She looked up at him as his lips descended on hers. Applause broke out as they stood there in the spotlight kissing. As he pulled back Sam looked up at him, her breath coming out harsh.

"Sam, I love you."

"Danny... I love you too." He smiled at her because even though life could be full of despair it was also filled with joy.

"It was still stupid." Smacking him the pair kissed again as the lights went on.


End file.
